Met Gala Set to Launch "Costume Art" Exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The highly anticipated Met Gala, scheduled for May 4, will once again bring together prominent figures to raise funds for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute. This year's event also marks the inauguration of a significant new fashion exhibit designed to explore the profound connection between fashion and art across history.

The gala will be co-chaired by a star-studded lineup including Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, and Anna Wintour.

The dress code for the event is simply: "Fashion is art."

Additional host committee members supporting the evening include Anthony Vaccarello, Zoë Kravitz, Sabrina Carpenter, Teyana Taylor, Lena Dunham, Misty Copeland, Angela Bassett, and Aimee Mullins. The gala serves as a crucial fundraiser for the Costume Institute and heralds the launch of its annual spring fashion exhibition.

"Costume Art" Exhibit Explores Fashion Through History

The new exhibition, titled "Costume Art," is poised to present fashion as a continuous and integral element throughout art history. Curated by Andrew Bolton and his team, the exhibit will feature approximately 400 objects, comprising 200 garments paired with 200 artworks meticulously selected from various museum departments.

The exhibition intends to explore "the dressed body" across different eras and body types, including the classical, naked, disabled, aging, corpulent, and pregnant body.

It seeks to re-examine art through the distinctive perspective of fashion, for instance, by displaying garments alongside ancient art objects that echo their designs and forms. A unique feature of the exhibit will be mannequins incorporating polished steel surfaces, which will function as mirrors to engage viewers.

A particularly notable pairing within the exhibit includes Edgar Degas’ “Pregnant Woman” sculpture displayed alongside Georgina Godley’s 1986 dress. The dress is recognized for its padded curves, which are described as a critique of traditional fashion norms.

New Conde M. Nast Galleries Inaugurated

The "Costume Art" exhibit will inaugurate the new Conde M. Nast Galleries, a dedicated space spanning nearly 12,000 square feet located off the museum’s Great Hall. This new location offers enhanced accessibility and design.

The new location is specifically designed to allow gala attendees to easily transition between viewing the exhibit and attending the dinner at the Temple of Dendur.

For the general public, the exhibit will open its doors on May 10, a strategic date intended to prevent the long queues that have been observed at previous exhibition locations. The galleries themselves consist of two main rooms, featuring varying ceiling heights of 18-foot and 9-foot, to create a dynamic and permeable viewing experience for visitors.

The exhibition will run from May 10 through January 10, 2027, offering an extensive period for the public to engage with this innovative exploration of fashion and art.