The Brooklyn Museum will present the North American debut of "Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses" from May 16 to December 6, 2026. The exhibition features over 140 haute couture creations by Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen, displayed alongside contemporary art, design objects, and scientific artifacts. It explores her fusion of traditional craftsmanship with cutting-edge technology, sustainability, and themes from nature and science. The show first opened at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris in 2023 and has traveled to QAGOMA, ArtScience Museum Singapore, and Kunsthal Rotterdam. The Brooklyn presentation coincides with the museum's annual Brooklyn Artists Ball, where Van Herpen will be honored.
This exhibition matters because it cements the Brooklyn Museum's legacy of landmark fashion exhibitions and its commitment to championing trailblazing women in art and design. Van Herpen is recognized as one of the most revolutionary fashion designers working at the intersection of art and science, and this show brings her visionary work to a major New York audience for the first time. By placing her designs in dialogue with contemporary artists and scientific specimens, the exhibition highlights how fashion can engage with pressing themes like sustainability, the body, and the environment, bridging the gap between art, science, and haute couture.