Collage: “Delphos” gown, Fortuny (Italian), Adèle Henriette Elisabeth Nigrin Fortuny and Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo, 1920s. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Frances J. Kiernan, 2005 (2005.328); Terracotta statuette of Nike, the personification of victory, late 5th century BCE. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Rogers Fund, 1907 (07.286.23). Artwork by Julie Wolfe. (Photo: Metropolitan Museum of Art.)
As far as yearly recurring art exhibitions go, The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met) has one that is highly anticipated. Every spring, the institution opens a show whose theme gets a boost from The Costume Institute Benefit, AKA The Met Gala, an exciting party that is always inspired by the exhibition’s theme. To whet our appetites for the show and gala in May 2026, The Met recently announced the title and concept: Costume Art.
Costume Art will use the dressed body as a means of examining historical and contemporary garments from The Costume Institute. Its focus will be mostly on Western art, spanning pre-history to the present, and organized by “thematic body types” that demonstrate how they’ve existed across time and space. This allows for thoughtful comparison; how were certain bodies treated in one era versus another, and highlighting how clothing shapes the body and the body shapes clothing. The two are inextricably linked.
Viewers can expect to see garments and artworks that span a wide range of conceptual connections and experiences, including formal, aesthetic, political, individual, universal, and more. The broad theme is ripe with possibilities and ways of thinking about how clothing shapes culture and, by extension, ourselves.
The exhibition will be on view from May 10, 2026, through January 10, 2027. Its opening is the unveiling of nearly 12,000-square-foot galleries adjacent to the Great Hall, and the space will display Costume Art. The Met Gala will take place on May 4, and the event’s co-chairs and honorary chairs will be announced in the coming months. The funds raised during “fashion’s biggest night out” are the primary way in which The Costume Institute funds its exhibitions, publications, acquisitions, and more.
Watch legendary ballerina Misty Copeland talk about the relationship between art, clothing, and the body. She joined The Met in announcing Costume Art.
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