The 2026 Met Gala took place on the first Monday of May, opening the Costume Institute's spring exhibition 'Costume Art' at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The dress code 'Fashion is Art' prompted celebrities to treat the body as a canvas, with attendees like Hunter Schafer, Madonna, Rachel Zegler, Angela Bassett, Kendall Jenner, Troye Sivan, and Emma Chamberlain referencing specific artworks—from Gustav Klimt's *Mada Primavesi* to the *Winged Victory of Samothrace*—and historical fashion pieces.
The event's significance extends beyond its spectacle, as controversy surrounds its sponsorship by Jeff Bezos, one of the world's wealthiest individuals. This funding source highlights the tension between artistic creativity and the economic structures that concentrate global power, raising questions about whether fashion can be considered art without being shaped by the capitalist logics that enable it. The gala thus becomes a site where art, fashion, and capital visibly intertwine.