Metropolitan Museum Announces Ambitious “Costume Art” Exhibition for 2026

In a significant move that cements fashion’s status as a serious art form, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has announced its next major exhibition, “Costume Art,” set to open following the star-studded Met Gala in May 2026.

The ambitious show aims to make the long-held connection between fashion and art more explicit than ever before, pairing garments with objects from across the museum’s vast collections to demonstrate how fashion has been intertwined with different artistic disciplines throughout history.

“It’s a show that can really live in fascinating ways at the museum and can pull from all different areas of our collection — paintings, sculpture, drawings,” said Max Hollein, CEO and director of the Met, in an interview ahead of Monday’s announcement. “I hope we all agree that fashion is art. But actually, I think the exhibition will make it obvious how fashion is actually happening across the museum and in all different mediums already.”

Andrew Bolton, curator in charge of the Costume Institute, explained that the exhibition will examine the dressed body through various thematic sections organized by different body types. These will include expected categories like the “Naked Body” and the “Classical Body,” as well as more unconventional themes such as the “Pregnant Body” and the “Aging Body.”

The connections drawn between artworks and garments will span a wide range, from “the formal to the conceptual, the aesthetic to the political, the individual to the universal,” according to the museum’s curatorial team.

One compelling example revealed during the announcement pairs a 1504 print by German Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer with spandex bodysuits created by Belgian designer Walter Van Beirendonck for his 2009 collection, both works exploring the biblical narrative of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

Ballet star Misty Copeland, who recently retired as American Ballet Theatre’s first Black female principal dancer, spoke at the announcement about the meaningful relationship between fashion and dance, emphasizing how the exhibition makes a “powerful case for the body, in all its forms, as a work of art, worthy of being seen, elevated, and celebrated.”

Copeland offered a personal perspective on the exhibition’s significance: “Of course, both fashion and dance have long held up an ‘ideal’ body, one that has historically meant thin, white, and female. That bias shaped my own experience. Early in my career, I was made to feel that my body didn’t fit the mold. My skin was too dark, my muscles too defined. Being a Black woman and a ballerina was presented almost as a contradiction.”

She described how she fought to challenge those preconceptions throughout her career, standing “firmly in the value and beauty of my body, and of the many Black and brown dancers whose bodies have so often been overlooked.” Copeland noted that this exhibition continues an important conversation that began with the Met’s acclaimed “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” exhibition, which focused on Black menswear.

“Costume Art” will inaugurate the Met’s new dedicated gallery space for fashion exhibitions, comprising approximately 12,000 square feet (1,115 square meters) located just off the museum’s Great Hall. The Conde M. Nast galleries, created from what was formerly the museum’s retail store, will provide a permanent, prominent home for fashion at the institution.

The strategic location means that when celebrities ascend the famous Met steps for the gala on May 4, 2026—likely dressed in theme to channel famous art objects—they’ll be just feet away from the exhibition itself, making it easier to experience the art before the evening’s social activities begin. Details about gala hosts and the specific dress code will be announced closer to the event.

According to Hollein, this relocation serves both practical and philosophical purposes. In addition to giving fashion a more central position within the museum, it will improve the visitor experience. Previously, the immense popularity of fashion exhibitions created long lines that snaked through other galleries, creating inconvenient bottlenecks throughout the museum.

Bolton noted that the new space “will mark a pivotal moment for the department, one that acknowledges the critical role fashion plays not only within art history but also within contemporary culture.”

“Costume Art” will open to the public on May 10, 2026, and run through January 10, 2027, providing an extended opportunity for visitors to explore the intricate relationship between the worlds of fashion and fine art.