Image: Museum Ludwig, Cologne
Museum Ludwig in Cologne has announced that its Yayoi Kusama exhibition is entering its last weekend, with extended opening hours on August 1 and 2, 2026. According to the museum’s newsletter, the exhibition will remain open until 2 a.m. on both nights, with last admission at 1 a.m. Tickets for the Kusama show will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis from 8 p.m. onward, after visitors queue outside the museum. Advance reservations are not available for those night-time slots.
The museum said regular tickets purchased online for the two days between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. will remain valid and can be used according to their assigned entry times. It also noted that visitors should plan for long waits, particularly because road closures linked to Köln Lights may affect access to the museum area on August 1. The newsletter recommends arriving early.
Museum Ludwig’s English and German newsletter versions both describe the Kusama exhibition as sold out until the end of its run. Even so, the museum said visitors can still buy tickets for the permanent collection and other presentations at the ticket desk. The institution’s website currently lists the exhibition under its current exhibitions and presentations, alongside 'Schultze Projects #5: Jana Euler' and 'Two Germanies circa 1980'.
The Kusama exhibition is presented as a major survey of the artist’s work, spanning more than 300 works from her first drawing, dated to around 1934, to the present day. The museum says the show includes a range of media, among them painting, drawing, sculpture, installation, fashion, performance and literature. The exhibition is listed as running from March 14 to August 2, 2026.
Museum Ludwig’s newsletter frames the finale as part of its regular visitor information rather than a new opening or closing event. The message is directed to readers and art lovers, and also points to the museum’s wider programme and ticketing options, which remain available even as Kusama admission slots are fully booked. The museum’s public calendar also shows other programming in August, including guided tours and a movement workshop tied to 'HERE AND NOW at Museum Ludwig: De/Collecting Memories from Turtle Island'.
The last weekend notice comes from Museum Ludwig’s July 31 newsletter and reflects the institution’s practical arrangements for the exhibition’s final days. The museum states that all Kusama tickets for on-site sale are exhausted, but that the permanent collection and other presentations remain accessible through the ticket desk during the same period, with the exhibition open until 2 a.m. on August 1 and 2, 2026.
