Essen 45128
Germany
Hours: Tuesday–Wednesday and Saturday–Sunday 10am–6pm
Thursday–Friday 10am–8pm
Since its founding in 1902, Museum Folkwang’s collection has been in constant transformation. New perspectives emerge while others recede, reflecting the museum’s ongoing dialogue between epochs, cultures, and ideas—a process that also finds expression in the exciting exibition programme 2026 (PDF).
The 2026 programme revisits the museum’s historical connections with French art through a major retrospective on Gustave Courbet. As the founder of realism and a central figure of early modernism, Courbet’s work moves between artistic renewal and political rebellion. His radical spirit and fascination with the everyday come to life through outstanding works, including the celebrated paintings Le Fou de peur and L’Origine du monde.
Museum founder Karl Ernst Osthaus also cultivated a global outlook from the outset. His travels to North Africa and West Asia inspired a visionary concept of a museum shaped by intercultural exchange. The exhibition Following Damascus ... brings true treasures from the collection to light and tells exciting chapters in the museum’s history.
Photography has also been part of the Folkwang identity since its beginnings. With L is for Look, we will be focusing on a special development in the history of photography in 2026, showing how photography entered children’s literature—from imaginative picture books to literary stories. Creative workshops and special learning formats invite young audiences to discover photography in playful and inspiring ways.
The museum’s collection continues to grow. A recent acquisition, Katharina Fritsch’s sculpture Hahn und Podest (Cock and Pedestal), extends the museum’s contemporary focus and adds a significant new work to its 21st-century holdings.
Through these and other projects, Museum Folkwang continues to be a place of artistic and social dialogue—open, dynamic, and inspiring in the spirit of the Folkwang idea.
Exibition programme 2026
Germaine Krull: Chien Fou
Author and photographer
Until March 15, 2026
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L is for Look
Photo Books for Children and Young People
February 27–June 7, 2026
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100 Best Posters 25
Germany Austria Switzerland
July 3–August 2, 2026
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I, Gustave Courbet
Painter and rebel
July 17–November 8, 2026
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Herbert W. Franke / Gottfried Jäger
Art and construction
October 16, 2026–January 10, 2027
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Photography Masters
Folkwang University of the Arts
October 16, 2026–January 10, 2027
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Following Damascus...
Karl Ernst Osthaus and the Arts of the Islamicate World
November 6, 2026–February 21, 2027
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6 ½ Weeks
From February 2026
New Worlds
Dialogue of the arts
All year round
