First Look: See What’s Inside the Met Gala’s “Costume Art” Exhibition

Vanity Fair art and style correspondents Nate Freeman and José Criales-Unzueta preview the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute spring exhibition "Costume Art," which inaugurates the Condé M. Nast Galleries. The exhibition arrives amid controversy over the Met Gala being sponsored by Lauren Sánchez Bezos and Jeff Bezos, leading to boycott calls and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani skipping the event. Despite this, Anna Wintour and Met director Max Hollein announced the gala raised a record $42 million. Head curator Andrew Bolton presents fashion as art, pairing garments with artworks like Warhol's Skull and Sarah Lucas's Nud Cycladic 9.

Authorship Dispute Erupts Over ‘Hair Dress’ at the Met’s Costume Institute

British artist Anouska Samms has publicly claimed that the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute exhibition "Costume Art" includes a dress, Corpus Nervina 0.0 (2023-24), that was based on her collaborative work with Israeli fashion designer Yoav Hadari. Samms alleges that she co-created the original "Hair Dress" with Hadari in 2023 while both were residents at the Sarabande Foundation, and that the Met initially sought to acquire that piece. After negotiations fell through, Hadari instead provided a similar garment attributed solely to him, prompting Samms to demand proper credit via Instagram posts and through her lawyer.

With new Costume Institute exhibition and galleries, the Met makes powerful statement about fashion's place in museums

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has opened a major new Costume Institute exhibition titled "Costume Art," which runs until January 10, 2027, in the newly designed Condé M. Nast Galleries by Peterson Rich Office. Curated by Andrew Bolton with Stephanie Kramer, Ayaka Iida, and Emily Mushaben, the show features nearly 400 objects from all 19 of the museum's collecting departments, organized around body typologies such as the "Classical Body" and "Aging Body." The exhibition marks a significant institutional commitment to fashion as a central curatorial concern, with the 12,000-square-foot space adjacent to the Great Hall.

The Met’s Costume Institute Needs an Art History Lesson

The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute spring exhibition, "Costume Art," pairs fashion with artworks from the Met's collection, including ancient Greek statues and Andy Warhol screenprints, alongside garments by designers from Charles James to CFGNY. Curator Andrew Bolton aims to suggest that fashion can expand understanding of art, but the show's juxtapositions often feel vague and sloppy, with only occasional resonant pairings like a Jean Paul Gaultier shirt and Joe Brainard drawing linked by queer artist lineage.

Peterson Rich Office Designed The Met’s New Condé M. Nast Galleries and its Inaugural Costume Institute Exhibition

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has opened its new Condé M. Nast Galleries, a 12,000-square-foot exhibition space designed by Brooklyn-based architecture firm Peterson Rich Office (PRO). The galleries, which debuted with the Costume Institute's exhibition "Costume Art," transform a former interior courtyard and gift shop into five sequential rooms, including named spaces for Thom Browne, Michael Kors, and Lance LePere. PRO also designed the exhibition itself, which pairs 200 garments and accessories with 200 artworks from the Met's collection, creating a dialogue between fashion and fine art.

The Met Gala, an Institution within the Institution

Le Met Gala, une institution dans l’institution

Le Met Gala 2026 took place on Monday at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, co-chaired by Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, and Venus Williams. The event raised a record $42 million for the Costume Institute, with celebrities like Madonna and Kendall Jenner attending under the dress code 'Fashion is Art'. The gala also opened the exhibition 'Costume Art', curated by Andrew Bolton, featuring 25 new mannequins with diverse body types.

Artist Alleges Hair Dress in the Met’s ‘Costume Art’ Show Copies Her Design

London-based artist Anouska Samms has accused the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute and curator Andrew Bolton of displaying a garment in the spring 2026 exhibition "Costume Art" that she claims is a counterfeit of her collaborative work. Samms says the piece, titled Corpus Nervina 0.0, was inspired by a 2023 hair dress she co-created with fashion designer Yoav Hadari for his label Psycheangelic. Despite a contract giving Samms sole ownership of the hair-based textile's intellectual property, the museum's wall label credits only Hadari and states Samms's textile was not used. Samms's lawyer, Jon Sharples, says the museum initially expressed interest in acquiring the original dress but later shifted to a remake after Hadari reported water damage, then stalled entirely before the exhibition opened.

Met Gala guests from Beyoncé to Nicole Kidman set to flaunt fashion as art

The article previews the 2025 Met Gala, where celebrities including Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, and Venus Williams will ascend the Metropolitan Museum of Art's steps dressed according to the dress code "Fashion is art." The event, which raises funds for the museum's Costume Institute, encourages guests to treat fashion as an embodied art form, drawing on historical collaborations between designers and artists—such as Elsa Schiaparelli with Salvador Dalí, Yves Saint Laurent with Piet Mondrian, and Marc Jacobs with Takashi Murakami. The red carpet will be livestreamed by Vogue and the Associated Press.

How to watch the 'Costume Art' Met Gala red carpet

The 2026 Met Gala, held on May 4 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, featured a dress code titled 'Costume Art' that explicitly frames fashion as an embodied art form. Celebrities including Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, and Venus Williams ascended the museum's steps wearing archival fashion pieces and custom creations, with references to artistic collaborations such as Elsa Schiaparelli and Salvador Dalí's lobster dress, Yves Saint Laurent's Mondrian-inspired designs, and Marc Jacobs' work with Takashi Murakami. The event raises funds for the museum's Costume Institute, whose spring exhibition 'Costume Art' examines the centrality of the dressed body.

Met Museum show at new Costume Institute puts fashion in same spotlight as Egyptian artefacts

The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute has opened its spring exhibition 'Costume Art' in a new 12,000-square-foot space called the Condé M Nast Galleries, located off the museum's Great Hall. The show pairs 200 garments and accessories with 200 artworks from the Met's collection, organized into 13 thematic body types such as Naked and Nude, Abstracted Body, Corpulent Body, Disabled Body, and Mortal Body. Lead curator Andrew Bolton aims to challenge traditional hierarchies by placing fashion on equal footing with fine art. The exhibition's launch is overshadowed by controversy over sponsorship by Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos for the Met Gala.

When Fashion Meets the Body, Can a Whole Museum Come Alive?

The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute will open its latest fashion exhibition, "Costume Art," in a new gallery space adjacent to the Great Hall, formerly the museum's gift shop. Curated by Andrew Bolton, the show features 400 objects from the permanent collection, organized thematically around the dressed body—exploring the naked, classical, anatomical, and mortal body—rather than chronologically. The exhibition aims to connect artistic representations of the body with fashion as an embodied art form.

New Met Gala fashion exhibit seeks to ‘reclaim’ body types that art history has ignored

The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute will launch a new fashion exhibition titled "Costume Art" at the 2026 Met Gala, curated by Andrew Bolton. The show features 400 items across sections exploring body types historically marginalized in art, including the corpulent, disabled, pregnant, and aging body. It debuts in the newly renovated Conde M. Nast galleries on the museum's main floor, with custom mannequins modeled on real individuals such as Sinéad Burke, Aariana Rose Philip, and Goddess Bunny. The exhibition pairs fashion garments with art objects to argue that fashion is art, and will be open to the public from May 10 for eight months.

Controversial Costumes at the Met’s Newest Galleries

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has opened the new Conde M. Nast Galleries, designed by the Brooklyn-based firm Peterson Rich Office (PRO). The inaugural exhibition, titled "Costume Art," features 200 pieces from various museum departments and will run until January 10, 2027. The 12,000-square-foot space, located off the Great Hall, incorporates historic structural elements and uses subtle lighting and materials to create a quiet backdrop for the display of fragile costumes and art objects.

met gala reveals 2026 dress code fashion is art 1234774208

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has announced "Fashion is Art" as the official dress code for the 2026 Met Gala, complementing the Costume Institute’s upcoming exhibition, "Costume Art." Curated by Andrew Bolton, the show will feature approximately 400 objects that juxtapose couture fashion with traditional artworks and artifacts. The exhibition will be the first to inhabit the museum's new Condé M. Nast Galleries and is structured around a "typology of bodies," exploring how fashion interacts with various human forms ranging from classical nudes to aging bodies.

Met Gala guests arrive on carpet in dramatic works of art

The 2026 Met Gala, held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, featured celebrities arriving in dramatic, custom outfits adhering to the dress code 'Fashion is art.' Notable attendees included Naomi Osaka in a Robert Wun white sculptural dress with red feathers and dripping red paint, Emma Chamberlain in a hand-painted Mugler gown by Miguel Castro Freitas, and co-chair Anna Wintour in a mint ensemble by Matthieu Blazy for Chanel. The event celebrated the opening of the Costume Institute's exhibition 'Costume Art.'

What Is the 2026 Met Gala Exhibit “Costume Art” All About?

The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute will unveil its 2026 exhibition, “Costume Art,” on May 4, 2026, coinciding with the Met Gala. Curated by Andrew Bolton, the show explores the relationship between fashion and the human body, juxtaposing garments like Rei Kawakubo's bulbous Comme des Garçons ensemble with artworks such as Hans Bellmer's “La Poupée” and Albrecht Dürer's “Adam and Eve.” Mannequins cast from real bodies and mirrored heads by artist Samar Hejazi will enhance the immersive experience. The exhibition runs from May 10, 2026, to January 10, 2027, in the new Condé M. Nast Galleries.

Met Gala 2026: Celebrities Wearing Art — Decoding the Inspirations Behind Their Looks

At the 2026 Met Gala, held on May 4 at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, celebrities interpreted the dress code 'Fashion is Art' with looks inspired by iconic artworks. ROSÉ wore a Saint Laurent gown based on Georges Braque's 'The Birds,' Emma Chamberlain's dress fused Vincent van Gogh's 'The Garden at Arles' and 'The Starry Night,' and Ben Platt donned a jacket reimagining Georges-Pierre Seurat's 'A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte' through bead embroidery.

The Met Gala May Be Over, But the Museum's New Exhibit Will Celebrate Costumes as Art all Year

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has opened a new exhibition titled "Costume Art," curated by Andrew Bolton, which pairs historical and contemporary garments with artworks from the museum's collection spanning 5,000 years. The exhibition is housed in the new 12,000-square-foot Condé Nast Galleries and runs from May 10, 2026 to January 10, 2027. It was launched in conjunction with the 2026 Met Gala, co-chaired by Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, and Anna Wintour, with celebrities like Emma Chamberlain, Naomi Watts, and Hunter Schafer wearing looks inspired by masterpieces in the Met's collection.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art's new exhibition celebrates the human body as art

The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute opened a new exhibition titled "Costume Art," curated by Andrew Bolton, which pairs historical and contemporary garments with artworks from the Met's collection spanning 5,000 years. The exhibition debuted at the 2026 Met Gala, co-chaired by Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, and Anna Wintour, with celebrities like Rihanna, Emma Chamberlain, and Hunter Schafer wearing looks inspired by masterpieces such as Van Gogh's "The Starry Night" and Klimt's "Mäda Primavesi." The show runs from May 10, 2026, to January 10, 2027, in the new Condé Nast Galleries, a 12,000-square-foot space that centralizes fashion displays within the museum.

Take a Look Inside This Year's 2026 Met Gala 'Costume Art' Exhibition

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has announced its spring 2026 Costume Institute exhibition titled "Costume Art," along with the accompanying Met Gala fundraiser scheduled for May 4, 2026, with a "Fashion is Art" dress code. The exhibition will debut in the newly designed 12,000-square-foot Condé M. Nast Galleries, featuring nearly 400 objects that juxtapose historical garments with fine art across thematic bodily categories such as the "Classical Body" and "Pregnant Body." Curated by Andrew Bolton, the show includes standout pairings like a Glenn Martens suit with an ancient marble statue and a Comme des Garçons ensemble with a Max Weber painting, with mannequins featuring polished steel heads by artist Samar Hejazi.

Ahead of the 2026 Met Gala, the Metropolitan Museum of Art Introduced New Mannequins With Diverse Body Types Inspired by Real People

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has opened a new exhibition titled "Costume Art" ahead of the 2026 Met Gala, featuring mannequins with diverse body types—including larger, pregnant, trans, and disabled bodies—created through 3D printing and based on real-life models. The show pairs roughly 400 artworks with garments, aiming to shift the traditional perspective by viewing art through the lens of fashion rather than the reverse.

A History of the Human Body at “Costume Art,” the New Costume Institute Exhibit

The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute has announced its latest exhibition, "Costume Art," opening May 10. Curated by Andrew Bolton, the show brings together garments and objects from across the museum's curatorial departments to explore the relationship between fashion and the human body. The exhibition is organized into thematic sections including the Naked & Nude Body, Classical Body, Abstract Body, Reclaimed Body, Pregnant Body, Corpulent Body, and Disabled Body, featuring works by designers such as Walter Van Beirendonck, LÛCHEN, Georgina Godley, Ann-Sofie Back, Di Petsa, Alessandro Michele for Gucci, and Vivienne Westwood, alongside historical art objects from Greek ceramics to Mesopotamian sculptures.

The Met Costume Institute Unveils Its New Condé M. Nast Galleries

The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute has unveiled its new 12,000-square-foot Condé M. Nast Galleries, named for the founder of Architectural Digest's parent company. Designed by the architecture firm Peterson Rich Office (PRO), the five-room exhibition space was carved from a former interior courtyard and gift shop, revealing historic brick and masonry facades that highlight the museum's architectural evolution. The galleries debuted alongside the exhibition "Costume Art," which explores the significance of dressed human form in fashion and fine art, curated by Andrew Bolton and celebrated at the Met Gala on May 4, 2026.

Exclusive | Met Gala 2026 and ‘Costume Art’ brashly transform flesh, bones and guts into too-cool couture

The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute will debut its spring 2026 exhibition, “Costume Art,” on May 10, preceded by the Met Gala on May 4. The exhibition explores the dressed body in all forms—nude, pregnant, plus-size, disabled, aging, and internal—and features fashion designer Renata Buzzo’s hand-stitched “Corset Anatomia” from her 2024 collection “The Body.” Buzzo was personally selected by curator Andrew Bolton and donated her pieces. The exhibition will be housed in the new Condé M. Nast Galleries, an 11,500-square-foot space that will make fashion galleries the first thing visitors see upon entering the Great Hall. The Met Gala, co-chaired by Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, and Anna Wintour, raised a record $31 million in 2025 and will follow the dress code “Fashion is Art.”

Ahead of the Met Gala, an Up-Close Look at “Costume Art”

Beyond Body-Con: In the the Met’s Spectacular New Exhibition, “Costume Art,” the Human Form Connects Fashion and Art

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has opened a new fashion exhibition titled "Costume Art" in its newly established Condé M. Nast Galleries. Curated by Andrew Bolton, the show features faceless mannequin heads by sculptor Samar Hejazi that reflect visitors' own images, encouraging self-reflection and empathy. The exhibition is structured around a typology of bodies, using mannequins of diverse body types modeled after named individuals to challenge traditional beauty standards. It explores the connection between fashion and the human form, positioning the dressed body as a unifying thread across the museum's collections.

This Y/Project Suit Defines The Met’s “Costume Art” Exhibition

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has announced its 2026 exhibition "Costume Art," which will inaugurate the new Condé M. Nast Galleries. Curator Andrew Bolton explains the show will focus on the dressed body's connection to art history, emphasizing materiality and corporeality over visuality. A key preview piece is a Y/Project suit from FW22, designed by Glenn Martens and Jean Paul Gaultier, featuring a trompe-l'oeil nude male figure that will be displayed alongside a 1st–2nd century CE marble statue of Diadoumenos. Other sections include "The Naked Body," "The Aging Body," and "The Anatomical Body."

Last chance to see exhibition showcasing amazing local talent as it draws to a close

Bolton Museum's Open Art Exhibition, featuring over 240 artworks by local artists and photographers, is closing on Sunday, March 17. The show includes paintings, photography, and sculptures from creators who live, work, or study in Bolton. Grand prize winner Richard Wood received £1,000 from the Mayor for his landscape 'Ghost Chimneys', while University of Greater Manchester student Olivia Edge won the Young Artist Award for her acrylic painting 'Rewilding'.

The 2026 Met Gala Theme and Dress Code, Explained

The 2026 Met Gala, held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, is set for tonight with the theme "Costume Art" and the dress code "Fashion is Art." The event, which takes place annually on the first Monday in May, serves as a high-profile fundraiser for the Costume Institute and a fashion spectacle. Co-chairs include Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, and Anna Wintour. The theme is tied to the Met's upcoming exhibition of the same name, which will debut the Costume Institute's first permanent galleries—the Condé M. Nast Galleries—and explore "the centrality of the dressed body" by pairing garments with art spanning 5,000 years.

How super-skinny red carpet trend at Met Gala clashes with own its body-positive Costume Art show

The Met Gala, organized by Vogue and themed around "costume art," was accompanied by an exhibition of the same name at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art opening May 10, focusing on the dressed body. While the exhibition has been praised for using inclusive mannequins representing diverse body types—including variously abled, fat, thin, and pregnant forms—the red carpet was criticized for its overwhelming thinness and the involvement of honorary chairs Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos, who reportedly sponsored the event for $10 million, sparking boycott calls. Fashion commentators like Diet Prada noted the Gala was more poorly received than ever, with some celebrities absent.