Spot on
100 Years GeSoLei
8 May 2026 – 21 February 2027
Date
8 May 2026 – 21 February 2027
Location
» KunstpalastAdmission: 16 € / concessions 12 €
Children / young people under 18: free
Members of Friends of the Kunstpalast: free
In 1926, Düsseldorf became the venue for the exhibition on healthcare, social welfare and physical exercise –“GeSoLei“ for short , the largest exposition of the Weimar Republic. In the wake of the First World War, the event promoted the ideal of a “new, capable human being”. Topics such as medicine, sport, social welfare, hygiene, nutrition and physical culture were the focus, complemented by a wide-ranging cultural and entertainment program.
Between 8 May and 15 October 1926, over 7.5 million people visited the 400,000-square-metre site. Architect and academy professor Wilhelm Kreis designed the building ensemble at the Ehrenhof especially for the occasion. Comprising the present-day Tonhalle concert hall, exhibition buildings and the Rheinterrasse, it continues to shape Düsseldorf’s cityscape to this day. Around 20 artists created sculptures, mosaics, murals and glass art, with numerous works still preserved around the Ehrenhof. The exhibition commemorates this important chapter in the city’s history from one hundred years ago.
Picture credits
Picture credits
Made in Düsseldorf #8
Staged
21 Aug – 27 Sept 2026
Date
21 Aug – 27 Sept 2026
Location
» KunstpalastAdmission: free / concessions free
Children / young people under 18: free
Members of Friends of the Kunstpalast: free
What do we see when we look at an image? And how do space and time influence our perception of reality?
Long gone are the days when photography and moving images served merely to represent reality or document moments for posterity. The artists featured in the exhibition show us that an image can be a construction, a chemical or digital process, a spatial statement or a linguistic fragment.
Under the title In Szene gesetzt (Staged), Made in Düsseldorf#8 brings together works from the Stadtsparkasse Düsseldorf’s art collection at the Kunstpalast that explore the tension between reality and human perception. Through photography, film, sound and sculpture, the artists probe the possibilities of representing reality. In doing so, they make the mediums themselves the subject, using a variety of strategies to reveal their potential, limitations and interpretive capacities. The artistic (de)construction of reality opens up new perspectives for us.
Works by Jan Dibbets, Simon Dybbroe Møller, Andreas Gefeller, Gudrun Kemsa, Sophie Meuresch, Steven Pippin, Barbara Probst, Amanda Ross-Ho and Juergen Staack are on display. Made in Düsseldorf is an exhibition series organised by the Stadtsparkasse Düsseldorf in collaboration with the Kunstpalast. It is dedicated to contemporary artists who are connected to Düsseldorf and the Rhineland through their studies, their place of residence or their artistic content.
The eighth exhibition in this series is curated by Esther Breinig.
Picture credits
Picture credits
DIE KLEINE (The Little One) 2026
Art Competition for Elementary Schools
30 Apr – 7 June 2026
Date
30 Apr – 7 June 2026
Location
» KunstpalastAdmission: free / concessions free
Children / young people under 18: free
Members of Friends of the Kunstpalast: free
DIE KLEINE (THE LITTLE ONE) is the final exhibition of the art competition for primary schools, which has been taking place since 2020. The competition is aimed at all elementary school in Düsseldorf and the surrounding area and aims to give young pupils the opportunity to get creative and experience the museum as an extracurricular place of learning.
The children are free to design their works of art and choose the medium – anything is possible, from pictures to collages, objects or photos to films. All submitted works will be presented in the final exhibition.
DIE KLEINE is under the patronage of Mayor Dr. Stephan Keller.
About DIE KLEINE
The DIE KLEINE art competition will take place for the seventh time in 2026, this time under the motto: ‘Kunstpalast Kunterbunt!’ (Colourful Art Palace!).Learn more & register
DIE KLEINE 2025
Brüder Grimm Schule, Klasse 4b- Brehmschule Kunst AG
Kronprinzenstr, Stufe 3
In der KLEINEN
GGS Richardstraße, Löwenklasse
MGS Lindenstr, Löwenklasse
Supported by
Gym
Fit with Art
4 November 2026 – 21 February 2027
Date
4 November 2026 – 21 February 2027
Location
» KunstpalastAdmission: 16 € / concessions 12 €
Children / young people under 18: free
Members of Friends of the Kunstpalast: free
The Kunstpalast collection is always in motion, and for the GeSoLei centenary we’re taking that literally – installing a sports circuit at the heart of the galleries.
In 1926, the Ehrenhof complex and its surroundings hosted the Great Exhibition for Public Health, Social Welfare and Physical Exercise (GeSoLei), the largest fair of the Weimar Republic, which attracted roughly 7.5 million visitors. Sport formed one of its key areas, a strand we pick up a century later and translate into a contemporary format. Rings, a rowing machine, a ping-pong table, a balance board and more will be placed throughout the collection galleries. Visitors are invited to use the equipment: a way to experience the exhibition differently and to set their own physical rhythm in dialogue with the art on view.
Supported by
Picture credits
Picture credits
Die Grosse
Art Exhibition NRW Düsseldorf
5 July – 9 Aug 2026
Date
5 July – 9 Aug 2026
Location
» Kunstpalast & NRW-ForumAdmission: 16 € / concessions 12 €
Children / young people under 18: free
Members of Friends of the Kunstpalast: free
DIE GROSSE is Germany’s oldest and largest sales exhibition organised entirely by artists. Organised by the VzVvK e.V., it is traditionally held at the Kunstpalast and also at the NRW-Forum Düsseldorf.
It is an important platform for promoting and selling contemporary art in the region. Every summer, works of art from all disciplines are presented in four halls and in the outdoor area. Approximately 180 artists, selected by a rotating jury of experts, participate in the exhibition. To this day, DIE GROSSE remains a reliable reflection of developments in art and is considered a meeting place for professionals in the industry.
Organisation: Verein zur Veranstaltung von Kunstausstellungen e.V.
DIE GROSSE 2025
- Foto: Morgaine Prinz
Foto: Morgaine Prinz
Foto: Morgaine Prinz
Foto: Morgaine Prinz
Foto: Morgaine Prinz
Foto: Morgaine Prinz
Foto: Morgaine Prinz
Foto: Morgaine Prinz
Foto: Morgaine Prinz
Picture Credits
Picture Credits
Niki de Saint Phalle
Dream Machine
10 September 2026 – 7 February 2027
Date
10 September 2026 – 7 February 2027
Location
» KunstpalastAdmission: 16 € / concessions 12 €
Children / young people under 18: free
Members of Friends of the Kunstpalast: free
The work of Niki de Saint Phalle (1930–2002) mounts a radical challenge to the discrimination of women and asserts a new, monumental vision of femininity. The Kunstpalast presents her iconic female figures, shooting paintings, happenings, sculptures and films, along with models for large-scale outdoor works, with particular attention to how she carved out artistic autonomy within a male-dominated field. “Nana Power!” – seen from today’s vantage point, her singular practice and her determination to upend gender relations place her squarely within the sphere of feminist activism, even if she never claimed the term herself.
The exhibition places de Saint Phalle’s work in dialogue with selected pieces by her contemporaries. Encounters with artist friends such as Jean Tinguely, Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg, as well as Yayoi Kusama and Dorothy Iannone, sharpen the contours of her position and illuminate the enduring impact of her artistic legacy.
Curator: Heike van den Valentyn
Supported by
Photo Credits
Photo Credits
Jörg Immendorff
25 September 2026 – 10 January 2027
Date
25 September 2026 – 10 January 2027
Location
» KunstpalastAdmission: 16 € / concessions 12 €
Children / young people under 18: free
Members of Friends of the Kunstpalast: free
Jörg Immendorff (1945–2007) was hailed internationally in the late twentieth century as one of the most influential German artists of his generation. A self-styled Malerfürst (“painter prince”), he cultivated a combative persona and led a notoriously contentious life. All the more striking, then, that the exhibition planned for autumn 2026 will be his first full retrospective in Düsseldorf: the city where he studied, taught and worked for decades.
Developed in collaboration with the artist’s estate, the project follows every stage of his career, from his early years at the academy to the works produced in his final Düsseldorf studio. Around 100 objects – including major painting cycles, wood and bronze sculptures, and previously unseen drawings and archival material – chart the breadth of his practice. Beyond the sheer range of his output, the exhibition foregrounds Immendorff’s persistent interrogation of the artist’s place in society, as well as his responses to the political urgencies of his era and the contradictions that fuelled his public image.
Curators: Felicity Korn and Westrey Page
Supported by
Picture Credits
Picture Credits
Winfred Gaul
Works from the Kemp Collection
15 October 2026 – 7 February 2027
Date
15 October 2026 – 7 February 2027
Location
» KunstpalastAdmission: 16 € / concessions 12 €
Children / young people under 18: free
Members of Friends of the Kunstpalast: free
In autumn 2026, the Kunstpalast will stage a major exhibition dedicated to Düsseldorf artist Winfried Gaul, featuring around 120 paintings and works on paper from the collection donated by Willi Kemp in 2011. Spanning 1955 to 1997, the show offers a wide-ranging survey of Gaul’s practice and highlights the close relationship between the artist and his collector.
Winfried Gaul (1928–2003) helped shape post-war art in Germany through his conviction that non-objective painting offered a path to renewal. His work shifts between openness and rigour, expression and sign, rootedness and distance; each brushstroke tests the interplay of colour, line and surface. A two-time documenta participant, he navigated the space between the free gesture of Art Informel and the strict order of geometric form. The works on view span more than four decades – from spontaneous wipe paintings and signal-like road signs to variations on colour-field painting – revealing an artist who, until his death, continually reinvented his approach to colour.
Picture Credits
Picture Credits
Collection
Discover our permanent collection
From around 130,000 objects owned by the Kunstpalast, the display collection shows around 800 works in a chronological tour of over 5,000 square metres.
Famous paintings, such as Rubens’ Ascension or Cranach’s Unequal Couple, meet exhibits that make many a visitor wonder: Birkenstock sandals and an Aldi bag, for example. Is that art? Of course it is!
Whether miniature or monumental work, everyday object or piece of jewellery, sculpture or porcelain, drawing or interactive VR installation – this collection unites all genres. Thanks to regular new additions and rearrangements as well as temporary interventions and special presentations such as Kunstpalast in Bloom, the permanent collection is always on the move and there is always something new to discover on the tour.
The broad concept of art in our collectionallows surprising changes of perspective. The presentation examines the relevance of historical and contemporary art, establishes connections to current themes and demonstrates the similarities between what at first glance appear to be very different works that were created at the same time – free from stylistic categorisations and regardless of their origin.
Members of the Friends of the Kunstpalast receive free admission and the opportunity to take part in a varied programme.
Explore our new collection with Antje and Gisela.
Highlights
The tour of our collection
Following its renovation, which was completed in November 2023, the collection wing of the Kunstpalast now presents itself as an open, contemporary space that appeals to visitors of all ages and levels of prior knowledge. The rearrangement has opened up new perspectives on the rich collection and enables a diverse, lively engagement with art from different eras and genres.
The Kunstpalast collection is divided into seven sections: the Picture Gallery, the Collection of Prints and Drawings, Sculpture and Applied Art, Glass, Modern Art, Photography and Time-Based Media. The Picture Gallery houses European paintings from the fifteenth to the early twentieth century and is based on the Picture Gallery of Elector Palatinate Johann Wilhelm. The Düsseldorf School of Painting is a particular focal point of the collection.
The museum’s collection is extensive, with around 130,000 objects from 11 centuries, various continents and all eras and genres. In addition to the historical holdings of the Düsseldorf Art Academy, other significant contributions to the main collection are the works from the Willi Kemp Foundation and those donated by Wolfgang Hanck.
The presentation of the collection is generously supported by the City of Düsseldorf and our sponsors and museum gallery sponsors.
Reconstruction of the Legendary Creamcheese
Time travel to the 1960s
The legendary Düsseldorf underground club Creamcheese, which was THE hotspot for the music and art scene from the late 1960s to the 1970s, has been brought back to life here.
After its closure, the artistic interior became the property of the Kunstpalast in 1978.
The bar area of this legendary pub has been reconstructed and is now on display at the Kunstpalast, with works by Günther Uecker, Gerhard Richter, Daniel Spoerri and other artists exhibited there at the time.
Part of the collection tour during regular opening hours, on Saturdays the Creamcheese room also invites visitors to stay late into the evening with drinks and music from the 1960s and 1970s. The bar can be booked for events on Fridays.Explore the Creamcheese Room
The Kunstpalast App
Experience art in multiple dimensions
Developed in cooperation with our digital partner ERGO, the Kunstpalast app now offers visitors an immersive, enhanced art experience. Available free of charge, the app enables visitors to experience works of art from the collection using augmented reality, combining learning and fun at the same time: while some features provide additional information on individual works, others are designed to amaze with surprising specials.Learn more and download the app
PalACE STUDIO
Being creative together
The cultural education workshops are now presented in a new location with a revised concept: the Palace Studio is a 350-square-metre, light, open and accessible space for working and thinking that combines a studio and a media lab, a darkroom and a discussion venue
The museum’s education partner, C. Josef Lamy GmbH, is the new sponsor of this meeting place for artistic and creative exchange.
Find out more
Spot on room
On the 1st floor of our new collection tour, there is a special room that provides a stage for changing exhibitions. Twice a year, this space is reorganised to focus on different themes and artists from our collection.
More information
Offers for children
Rhino palast
Hidden rooms by Christoph Niemann
Our visitors, young and old, can discover four hidden children’s rooms in our new tour of the collection. Designed exclusively for the Kunstpalast by the artist and illustrator Christoph Niemann, these special rooms, called Rhino Palast, will take you on a journey of discovery that will test the limits of your perception and allow you to playfully take over the museum.
Learn more
Rhino Tour
explore the kunstpalast with tonies
explore the kunstpalast with tonies
With Nele and Piet to Knight and Rubens: there is a lot for children to discover in the new Kunstpalast. An audio tour that can be played via the Toniebox introduces young visitors to 26 selected works of art in the collection through exciting and entertaining stories.
This unique audio guide is made possible by the cooperation with the company Boxine GmbH, which produces audio systems with matching audio figures, the Tonies.
Go on Rhino Tour
Gastronomy
Meet Anna Maria
The Taste of kunstpalast
Saban Emini and Joakim Olsen are from now on looking after the culinary well-being of our visitors. Together with their team, the two Düsseldorfers are running our new restaurant “Anna Maria”. You can look forward to a varied lunch menu, coffee and cake as well as a selected evening and wine menu.
Learn more
Exhibition View
Exhibition View, Photo: Andreas Endermann
Exhibition View, Photo: Anne Orthen
Exhibition View, Photo: Andreas Endermann
Exhibition View, Photo: Andreas Endermann
Exhibition View, Photo: Anne Orthen
Exhibition View, Photo: Anne Orthen
Exhibition View, Photo: Andreas Endermann
Exhibition View, Photo: Andreas Endermann
Exhibition View, Photo: Andreas Endermann
Supported by
Image Credits
Image Credits
Community
Photography and Belonging
11 Feb – 25 May 2026
Date
11 Feb – 25 May 2026
Location
» KunstpalastAdmission: 16 € / concessions 12 €
Children / young people under 18: free
Members of Friends of the Kunstpalast: free
The soccer fan club, the family, the political collective – people strive to belong. Since the invention of photography, the medium has not only captured belonging, but can also fuel or question it. Photography makes it possible to demonstrate that you are part of something bigger. It can also be used to draw boundaries with those who are not part of one’s own community.
Buy Tickets
When would you like to visit the exhibition?
The exhibition, which will be on display at the Kunstpalast from February 11 to May 25, 2026, sheds light on the multifaceted relationship between photography and community in the past and present. It brings together applied and artistic positions that explore this relationship – whether with subtle humor, impressive solidarity or with the aim of precise analysis.
The exhibition is developed from the photographic collection of the Kunstpalast and supplemented by international loans. Visitors will be actively involved in the exhibition and can contribute their own community images. The exhibition will be accompanied by a richly illustrated catalog with contributions from art history, sociology and historical research on the subject.
Exhibition view
Exhibition view, photo: Anne Orthen
Exhibition view, photo: Anne Orthen
Exhibition view, photo: Anne Orthen
Exhibition view, photo: Anne Orthen
Exhibition view, photo: Anne Orthen
Exhibition view, photo: Anne Orthen
Exhibition view, photo: Anne Orthen
Exhibition view, photo: Anne Orthen
Exhibition catalogue
Edited by Linda Conze | 144 pages | 160 colour illustrations | 23.5 x 28.5 cm | German | Softcover
Become part of our new exhibition, ‘Community’!
We would like to highlight various communities in Düsseldorf and their long history, and we would be delighted if your association were to feature in our exhibition!Learn more & participate
Accompanying Programme
Thu 30 Apr 2026
Theme Tour Black Archive Germany
18:00
Identity, Resilience and Community
Thu 30 Apr 2026
Talk with Cate Lartey and Dzifa Peters
19:00
Community. Photography and Belonging
Sat 2 May 2026
Public Tour in German
15:00
Community. Photography and Belonging
Fri 8 May 2026
Meeting Point Museum
15:45
Experience community!
Sun 10 May 2026
Open Studio – Time for Group Photos!
13:00
Community. Photography and Belonging
Tue 12 May 2026
Experience the museum! – Tour for people with dementia
11:30
Community. Photography and Belonging
Sat 16 May 2026
Public Tour in German
15:00
Community. Photography and Belonging
Sat 23 May 2026
Public Tour in German
15:00
Community. Photography and Belonging
Supported by
Picture credits
Picture credits