The Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen museum in Dusseldorf, Germany is featuring an LGBTQ+ exhibition entitled “Queer Modernism 1900 to 1950″ from now through Feb. 15, 2026. The exhibit features over 130 works from 34 international artists spanning various mediums: paintings, drawings, photographs, sculptures, films, publications, and archival materials.
Themes central to the exhibit include desire, gender, sexuality, and the politics of self-representation through the first half of the twentieth century. The exhibition also touches on stories of queer life and love in times of war and resistance. Artists featured in the exhibition include Claude Cahun, Hannah Höch, Jean Cocteau, Romaine Brooks, Marlow Moss, Richmond Barthé and more.
Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen is a publicly-funded museum founded in 1961 and houses the state of North Rhine-Westphalia’s collection of modern and contemporary art. The museum boasts two locations across Dusseldorf city: K20 which focuses on classical modernism and post-WWII art, with collection featuring works from Picasso, Kandinsky and Jackson Pollock; and K21 in Standehaus, which features interdisciplinary contemporary artworks.
According to the museum’s official site, in recent years K20’s collection has become more global and experimental and multi-faceted. Queer Modernism is part of the museum’s larger effort to expand its perspectives on modernism, giving a platform to positions that have been historically marginalized.
