The Metropolitan Museum of Art will open the Condé M. Nast Galleries, a nearly 12,000-square-foot space adjacent to the Grand Hall, in spring 2026. The new galleries will serve as a permanent home for the Costume Institute's annual exhibitions, replacing the museum's largest retail space. The inaugural show, "Costume Art" (10 May 2026–10 January 2027), will pair paintings, sculptures, and historical garments to highlight the centrality of the dressed body in art, moving away from displaying clothes as disembodied objects. The expansion follows the record-breaking success of 2018's "Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination," which drew over 1.6 million visitors.
This development marks a major institutional shift, elevating fashion from a peripheral department to a central location within one of the world's most prestigious art museums. By giving fashion prime real estate, the Met signals its full acceptance of fashion as an art form and acknowledges the growing public appetite for fashion exhibitions. The move also strengthens the influence of Anna Wintour, the Vogue editor and Met Gala chair, and positions the Costume Institute to attract broader audiences, potentially boosting museum attendance and cross-departmental engagement.