75 Years of Museum Morsbroich. Anniversary Festival.

To mark its 75th anniversary, the Museum Morsbroich is organising the Morsbroich Art Days around Morsbroich Castle from 8 to 10 May 2026. The anniversary celebrations will focus on contemporary art and offer a varied programme for a wide audience. Admission to the events is free on all days.

Founded in 1951, Museum Morsbroich was the first newly established museum in the young Federal Republic of Germany dedicated to contemporary art. Museum Morsbroich has pursued the aim of presenting young and forward-looking art, opening it up to public discussion and offering it a protected institutional space. This self-image also shapes the anniversary programme.

The Art Days start on Friday, 8 May, at 7.30 pm with the opening of an exhibition by the Belgian sculptor Katleen Vinck at the Kunstverein Leverkusen. This will be followed by a poetry slam by the youth art club Klub M in the sculpture park.

On Saturday 9 May, the focus will be on the anniversary. In the early evening at 7 pm, the ceremony and an anniversary auction in aid of the museum will take place in the Hall of Mirrors. The Junges Theater Leverkusen will transport visitors into the history of the museum and Morsbroich Castle with performers in costume. This will be followed by a light concert by the internationally renowned artist Laurenz Theinert, who will transform the castle’s exterior façade into a multimedia experience with his ‘Visual Piano’.

Sunday, 10 May, offers a varied programme of performances, activities and workshops for the whole family. The highlight will be the opening at 12 noon of the exhibition by Helen Brecht, winner of the KHM Prize for Female Artists (FLINTA*), organised in collaboration with the Academy of Media Arts Cologne. The artist Mischa Kuball will present an installation and an edition. The programme is complemented by installations, artist talks, theatre performances, open-air painting and participatory activities for all age groups.

In addition, on Saturday and Sunday, “Flying Art Educators” will guide visitors through the museum’s current exhibition “Chained to the Rhythm. Of Man and Nature”.

The Morsbroich Art Days see themselves as a vibrant forum for contemporary art and invite visitors to experience the museum’s past, present and future together.

Refreshments will be provided by the team at the Schlosscafé by Herkenrath Hof.

As part of its anniversary discount campaign, the Morsbroich Museum Shop invites everyone to have a go on the wheel of fortune!

Click here for the schedule of the Morsbroich Art Days.