## Today, North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) is full of fantastic institutions, all exhibiting an exciting program featuring some of the world's most renowned contemporary artists. From Cologne to Essen, via Düsseldorf and Bielefeld, NRW is a destination for all art lovers who want to experience the best contemporary art has to offer in Germany.

The Museum Ludwig, located between Cologne Cathedral and the Rhine, is a giant among European museums and houses an extensive collection of works. It features paintings from Pablo Picasso to those of the Russian avant-garde from the 1920s.

It's also noteworthy that the collection of American Pop Art is the most important outside the USA itself: Johns, Rauschenberg, Warhol, Judd—they're all represented there. This is thanks in part to the legacy of the legendary collector couple Peter and Irene Ludwig. They laid the foundation for the museum with their private collection in 1976. Additional works came from the donation of politician and lawyer Josef Haubrich, whose extensive and massive collection of German Expressionist art now accounts for the majority of the pieces on display. Anyone in North Rhine-Westphalia should definitely pay the museum a visit.

Photos: AR

Braunsfelder is a hybrid space that, on the one hand, offers insight into the private contemporary art collection of a Cologne-based family of collectors and, on the other, showcases emerging and established artists. All exhibitions are open and free to the public. Up to five times a year, various curators are invited to curate exhibitions in the beautiful former faucet factory in Cologne's Ehrenfeld district.

With a focus on painting and sculpture, the space also houses an extensive, constantly growing library containing art books, exhibition catalogs, and jazz literature. The library is also open to the public. Braunsfelder is a place of exchange and learning, contributing to Cologne's reputation as a center of art and culture.

Photos: Mareike Tocha

Spread across its three locations: K20, K21, and F3, there's plenty of art to see during a visit to Düsseldorf. With an impressive collection of major works of classical modernism—including paintings by Picasso, Matisse, Kandinsky, and Mondrian—the State Gallery is considered one of the most renowned collections of modern art.

The K21 in the Ständehaus opened in 2002 as a showcase for modern art and, as a "place for artists," offers space for temporary exhibitions. All of this takes place under the former dome of the North Rhine-Westphalian state parliament. The K20 on Grabbeplatz houses the permanent art collection. It houses many important works of post-war American art, including works by Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, Donald Judd, Jasper Johns, and Frank Stella.

The main attraction is Jackson Pollock's world-famous, abstract, expressionist drip painting "Number 32," created during his most productive period from 1947 to 1950. Contemporary artworks by artists such as Gerhard Richter, Tony Cragg, Thomas Schütte, Imi Knoebel, and Joseph Beuys form another important focus of the museum.

Photos: Sebastian Drüen

After extensive renovations, the museum reopened in 2010, the Ruhr region's Capital of Culture year. British architect David Chipperfield designed an impressive new building to replace the previous extension from the 1980s.

And the building is impressive: The Museum Folkwang in Essen is undoubtedly one of the most renowned art museums in Germany. Its collection boasts an outstanding modernist collection with works by masters such as Cézanne, Gauguin, van Gogh, Kirchner, Marc, Matisse, Munch, Rodin, and many others. The museum also houses a first-class photography collection with works from the 20th century, the postwar period, and the present.

In total, the Museum Folkwang houses around 600 paintings, 300 sculptures and installations, and more than 1,800 other works of art. In addition to the permanent exhibitions, there are also numerous high-profile temporary exhibitions. Most recently, Martin Kippenberger's large-scale installation "The Happy End of Franz Kafka's America," which came from the Prada Foundation in Milan, was on display.

Photos: Sebastian Drüen

Designed in 1968 by Philip Johnson, the legendary American modernist architect, in the International Style, the Kunsthalle Bielefeld is located amidst an impressive sculpture garden. Featuring works by Olafur Eliasson, Auguste Rodin, Henry Moore, and Richard Serra, the museum is a fantastic example of an art gallery in North Rhine-Westphalia that shouldn't be missed when visiting the region.

The permanent collection includes works by Picasso, Sonia and Robert Delaunay, Max Beckmann, Man Ray, and members of Die Brücke and Die Blaue Reiter. In recent years, temporary exhibitions have been presented by important contemporary artists such as Monica Bonvicini, Jeremy Deller, Jorge Pardo, and Sophie Taeuber-Arp.

The Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn presents two to four exhibitions simultaneously on a total exhibition space of 5,600 square meters. These include important temporary exhibitions featuring valuable art treasures and cultural assets from around the world.

Since its opening in 1992, the Bundeskunsthalle has hosted more than 100 exhibitions from the fields of art and cultural history, science, and technology. In addition to important works of art, the ambience of its outstanding architecture also provides a venue for high-profile events, media conferences, and concerts. In addition, there is the outdoor area and garden—also known as "Goethe's Garden"—designed as a kind of "cultural oasis."

The stone-clad light towers and copper-sheet roof can be seen from afar. They are unmistakable features, which, like the rest of the building, were designed by Viennese architect Gustav Peichl. Peichl also designed the idyllic, planted roof, which offers an additional 8,000 square meters of space for works by world-renowned contemporary artists. Here, far above the hustle and bustle of the busy streets, an inspiring walk in the greenery in the heart of the city is possible.