The Costume Institute exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York will place the clothed body at the center of fashion and art, among historical and contemporary garments.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is preparing for an unprecedented event with the Costume Institute&#39;s 2026 spring exhibition: &quot;Costume Art,&quot; an exhibition that focuses on the relationship between body and dress, redefining the dialogue between fashion and art. The exhibition also marks the inauguration of the Condé M. Nast Galleries , a nearly 12,000-square-foot space adjacent to the Great Hall, designed to offer an immersive perspective on the evolution of the clothed body across over 5,000 years of artistic history. Curated by Andrew Bolton , the exhibition aims to break down the traditional separation between fashion and art, foregrounding the centrality of the body as a narrative element. &quot; For the Costume Institute&#39;s inaugural exhibition in the Condé M. Nast Galleries, I wanted to focus on the centrality of the clothed body within the Museum, connecting artistic representations of the body to fashion as an embodied art form. Rather than privileging the visuality of fashion, which often occurs at the expense of the corporeal, Costume Art emphasizes its materiality and the inextricable connection between our bodies and the clothes we wear. The opening of the new Galleries will mark a pivotal moment for the department, one that recognizes the fundamental role that fashion plays not only in the history of art but also in contemporary culture.&quot; I am grateful to Max for his support and to the Galleries&#39; generous donors for their belief in the transformative possibilities of fashion ,” explained Bolton, underlining how even the artistic nude is always inscribed in cultural values and ideas, making the body a true starting point for understanding fashion and the visual arts.

The exhibition is structured around three categories of physicality: classical and omnipresent bodies in art , often excluded bodies , such as pregnant or aging ones, and universal bodies , such as the anatomical body. This curatorial choice challenges the narrow standards of the fashion industry, restoring complexity and authenticity to bodily representation and creating a bridge between historical and contemporary aesthetics. The Costume Institute&#39;s garments will dialogue with paintings, sculptures, and objects from the museum&#39;s various departments, creating a unique visual and conceptual experience. The exhibition, designed by Miriam Peterson and Nathan Rich of Peterson Rich Office, prioritizes the impact of clothing. Mannequins will be displayed on nearly two-meter pedestals and complemented by artwork, while mirrored heads created by artist Samar Hejazi will invite visitors to reflect on their relationship with the body and clothing, fostering empathy and awareness. Furthermore, some garments will be worn by real bodies, challenging the conventions of traditional representation and offering a more inclusive vision of beauty.

&quot;Costume Art&quot; has no subtitle, a choice Bolton made to reinforce the message that fashion and art must be considered on the same level. The exhibition thus presents itself as a moment of reflection and celebration of the body as a foundational element of both languages, eliminating hierarchies and prioritizing lived experience. Supported by Jeff and Lauren Bezos, with additional funding from Saint Laurent and Condé Nast, the exhibition will be open to the public from May 10, 2026, to January 10, 2027 , immediately following the 2026 Met Gala on May 4, the event that serves as the primary funding source for all of the Costume Institute&#39;s activities. &quot;Costume Art&quot; is not just an exhibition, but a cultural device that invites us to rethink the very boundaries of fashion within the museum institution. Incorporating the body, in its complexity, vulnerability, and diversity, as a curatorial principle means interrogating not only art history, but also the dynamics through which fashion constructs identities and aesthetic hierarchies. In this sense, Bolton&#39;s exhibition does not simply legitimize fashion as art, but also reveals its social, political, and perceptual implications: who is represented, who is excluded, how the interpretation of clothing changes when attention shifts from the artifact to the body that inhabits it. The true value of &quot;Costume Art&quot; perhaps lies precisely in this: in offering the public a critical space in which to observe how dressing, more than an aesthetic act, is a form of cultural awareness and a language through which to understand our presence in the world.

"Costume Art" is the title and theme of the exhibition of the next MET Gala 2026

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