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.
The exhibition matters because it marks a significant institutional investment in fashion as a legitimate art form, underscored by the new permanent galleries funded by Condé Nast. By directly pairing garments with fine art objects and organizing them around bodily themes, the show challenges traditional hierarchies between fashion and art, while the Met Gala continues to serve as a major cultural and fundraising event for the Costume Institute. The exhibition opens to the public on May 10, 2026.