Summary
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art has officially announced the details for its spring 2026 Costume Institute exhibition, titled Costume Art
- The annual Met Gala will take place on Monday, May 4, 2026, tasking attendees with a highly anticipated “Fashion is Art” dress code
- The exhibition will inaugurate the newly designed, 12,000-square-foot Condé M. Nast Galleries, featuring nearly 400 objects that juxtapose historical garments with fine art to examine thematic bodily representations throughout time
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is officially setting the stage for fashion’s biggest night. The institution has announced the highly anticipated details for The Costume Institute’s spring 2026 exhibition, Costume Art, alongside the accompanying Met Gala fundraiser. Tasking attendees with a “Fashion is Art” dress code, this year’s gala promises to be a deeply conceptual celebration. The upcoming exhibition will fundamentally examine the centrality of the dressed body, brilliantly juxtaposing centuries of garments with iconic works of art to illuminate the indivisible, complex connection between clothing and the human form.
A major highlight of the 2026 season is the debut of the Condé M. Nast Galleries. The sprawling, nearly 12,000-square-foot space—designed by Miriam Peterson and Nathan Rich of Peterson Rich Office (PRO)—is located adjacent to the Great Hall and marks a monumental upgrade for the Costume Institute. Made possible by a significant lead gift from Condé Nast, the new permanent galleries underscore The Met’s commitment to continually investing in the display and appreciation of fashion as a legitimate art form.
Curated by Andrew Bolton, Costume Art will feature nearly 400 objects spanning over 5,000 years of artistic expression. Rather than displaying disembodied garments, the exhibition is organized into thematic bodily categories—such as the “Classical Body,” the “Naked Body,” the “Aging Body,” and the “Pregnant Body.” To further emphasize the embodied experience, the garments will be displayed on pedestals and platforms to represent equivalency between the artworks and the body types. Additionally, the mannequins will feature polished steel heads designed by artist Samar Hejazi, inviting visitors to quite literally see themselves reflected in the displays.
The curated pairings will create profound dialogues across history. Standout juxtapositions include a 2022–23 suit by Glenn Martens for Y/Project paired with a 1st–2nd century CE marble statue of Diadoumenos; a sweeping 1883 walking dress displayed alongside Georges Seurat’s 1884 Study for “A Sunday on La Grande Jatte”; a 1997–98 Comme des Garçons ensemble matched with Max Weber’s 1917 “Figure in Rotation”; and a contemporary Dilara Findikoglu dress presented with an 1868 Tiffany & Co. mourning brooch.
As the primary source of funding for The Costume Institute, the 2026 Met Gala is poised to be an unforgettable evening where the world’s biggest stars merge contemporary couture with high-art history. The Costume Art exhibition will officially open to the public on May 10, 2026, offering visitors a transformative look at how the garments we wear shape, and are shaped by, the world around us.
