Would you like to see how art holds a mirror not only to the past but also to the future, right in the heart of Düsseldorf? The K20, the North Rhine-Westphalia State Museum, began presenting its collection from 2024 in such a perspective that even today, in 2026, this exhibition continues to be one of Europe’s most talked-about curatorial successes.
From Classic Modernism to a Polyphonic Future
Set aside traditional art history narratives. At K20’s magnificent building on Grabbeplatz, “Your Museum! Your Collection!” brings together over 200 masterpieces in an unconventional arrangement. Here, you hear not only the “big names” but also the invisible heroes of art and global voices.
As you walk through the museum’s corridors, Andy Warhol’s pop-art icons stand side by side with Etel Adnan’s poetic abstractions. Seeing Alice Neel’s bold portraits or Lygia Pape’s radical touches on Brazilian modernism opposite figures like Picasso and Matisse shatters the “single-voiced” story we know from art history.
Curatorial Note: The exhibition is shaped around thematic galleries and “encounter islands” that explore intersections, ruptures, and connections between yesterday, today, and tomorrow, rather than a rigid chronology.
The Voice of Art: DJ Wolfram and the Digital Revolution
K20 appeals not only to your eyes but also to your ears. The museum has transformed this new presentation into a digital feast:
The Sound of the Collection: Renowned DJ Wolfram, known from DFA Records, has prepared a special soundtrack for the K20 collection. This music accompanies you as you wander among the works.
Digital Guide: You can create your own tour and learn the background of the works directly from the artists by listening to audio interviews.
Collection Online: You can access nearly 300 works seen in the exhibition at any time through the museum’s digital gallery.
Who Will We See?
Some key names in K20’s vast selection can be summarised as follows: Paul Klee, Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock, Etel Adnan, Alice Neel, Gabriele Münter, Paula Modersohn-Becker, Lygia Pape, Park Seo-Bo, Arpita Akhanda, Fouad Kamel, Mayo.
Be sure to stop by Grabbeplatz 5 during your trip to Düsseldorf. This is not just a museum; it is a living organism where history, geography, and emotions intertwine.
