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.
This dispute matters because it highlights ongoing tensions around authorship, intellectual property, and credit in the art and fashion worlds, especially when collaborations between artists and designers are involved. The Met's refusal to comment and its deferral to the artists to resolve their differences underscores how institutions can become entangled in such conflicts. The case also raises broader questions about how museums attribute works and the power dynamics between emerging artists and established institutions.