Current art exhibitions 
on Sylt

Christopher Lehmpfuhl is a plein air painter in the truest sense. His art is not created in the protected, warm studio, but in direct, physical engagement with the elements of nature. Without preliminary sketches, he confronts wind and weather. What is unique is that Lehmpfuhl uses neither brushes nor palette knives. He applies pure oil paint to the canvas with his bare hands, layering, pressing, and modeling it. Every gesture, from the broadest movement to the finest imprint, is the immediate expression of a fleeting observation of nature. In the process, even the occasional grain of sand finds its way uncensored into the texture of the painting.

In February 2026, landscape painter Christopher Lehmpfuhl embarked on a unique experiment. His goal: to capture the island of Sylt on canvas in the depths of winter. The island was shrouded in a thick blanket of snow, its beaches and seaward coastline covered by a persistent layer of ice. While Lehmpfuhl had previously been drawn to the stormy, cloud-covered aspects of the North Sea in summer, a journey into the icy cold of February was a completely new experience for him.

Lehmpfuhl encounters a familiar landscape, one that has been thoroughly transformed, giving rise to monumental and powerful winter scenes in his paintings. Because Lehmpfuhl completes his works in just a few hours outdoors, not only wind and cold, but also real ice crystals and the viscous consistency of the freezing oil paint flow directly into the paintings.

The exhibition will open on June 19, 2026 at 15 p.m. in Sylt Museum instead.

The town hall in Westerland will become a stage for the island's surfing history: The second installment of the exhibition series "Surf + Beach Culture Sylt" opens on May 1st in the former casino building. It follows the successful first part, which in 2024 at the Sylt Museum explored the beginnings and development of surfing on the island in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. While the first exhibition focused on the early stages of surfing, the 1980s will now also be highlighted. "We are delighted to be able to continue the story here," says Angelo Schmitt, curator of the exhibition. "With the 80s, we are examining a period in which surf culture on Sylt underwent significant development and received new impetus." 

The exhibition thus expands the previous timeframe and showcases a period in which surfing became increasingly established while windsurfing simultaneously gained in importance. And this took place just a few hundred meters from the exhibition venue: On the Seenot beach section, Jürgen Hönscheid won the first international surfing competition in windsurfing in 1974. Subsequently, windsurfing also became increasingly popular, and in 1984 Westerland became a regular stop on the Sylt Windsurf World Cup tour.

In addition to the sporting development, the exhibition highlights the close connection to beach and lifeguard culture. As early as 1952, the first waves off Sylt were surfed – in wetsuits or even without neoprene, often on repurposed rescue boards. Surf equipment and rescue gear from four decades are among the exhibits, as are historical surfboards and an authentic replica of a lifeguard cart. Interviews and eyewitness accounts, as well as photos, videos, and Super 8 footage from private collections and the Sylt archive, are also included. They reveal the fascinating history of surfing, which stretches back more than 70 years and has shaped the island more profoundly than almost any other sport.

Alongside the main exhibition, the special exhibition "Shades of Trash" is on display. It addresses the topic of environmental and marine conservation and uses figures made from beach finds and plastic waste collected from around the world to draw attention to the consequences of marine pollution.

The opening takes place on May 1st from 2 pm to 14 pm. From May 17nd onwards, both exhibitions will be open from Thursday to Sunday between 12 pm and 17 pm. Extended opening hours from June onwards will be announced on the Instagram account @surfundstrandkultursylt Announced. Admission is €10, children pay half price. Members of the Surf Club Sylt and the Skateboarding Sylt association have free admission.