British artist Anouska Samms has publicly criticized the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York over a copyright dispute involving a dress displayed in the Met Gala opening exhibition. Samms claims the museum included a garment called the Nervina Hair Dress, which she says is a copy of her collaborative work Hair Dress, created with fashion designer Yoav Hadari during their residency at the Sarabande Foundation. The Met had expressed interest in acquiring the original dress for its Costume Art exhibition but shelved those plans in December. Samms says she was not credited or paid, while Hadari acknowledges her IP rights over the textile but asserts the design and construction are his own. The Met has declined to comment, directing the artists to resolve the matter themselves.
This dispute matters because it raises critical questions about museums' responsibilities in copyright and provenance due diligence, especially when acquiring works involving multiple creators. Samms argues that the Met is not neutral by crediting only Hadari, and that the institution should take accountability for verifying authorship and securing proper attribution. The case could set a precedent for how museums handle collaborative artworks and intellectual property rights, particularly in high-profile exhibitions like the Met Gala. It also highlights the power imbalance between individual artists and major institutions, and the legal complexities of joint authorship under different national copyright laws.