The Met Gala 2026 Theme Explained – Costume Art Exhibition at the Met Costume Institute

The Met Gala is known for celebrities and outrageous outfits but many people actually do not know that the Gala is the official opening of the annual blockbuster exhibition of the Met Costume Institute – which is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art New York. This year’s theme is “Costume Art”. And no, it is not about costume design or stage costume. The exhibition focuses on the “dressed body in the museum’s vast collection”^[1]. And if you know about the Met Costume Institute and its chief curator Andrew Bolton, you know that there will be much more to this exhibition than just displaying beautiful fashion.

You can also watch my video here:

Criticism of the Met Gala

Every year, the Met Gala makes headlines – unfortunately not because of its underlying purpose as the sole fundraiser for the Costume Institute. It is rather about the spectacle, the circus – ridiculous outfits trying to grab the attention on social media, guests who did not bother to read the brief about the theme, superficial interviews. Furthermore, the Gala is being criticised and boycotted by many due to one of its major sponsors: Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanches Bezos. There have been rumours about Bezos trying to acquire Vogue, or even Condé Nast, its mother company. The tech tycoon is no stranger to publishing, he is the owner of the Washington Post and some assume he would like to buy Vogue as a gift for his second wife. Whether these rumours are true or not, their sponsorship of the Gala shows a crucial shift: While the Met Gala was meant for people from the fashion industry, it has become a tech-gallore – with companies like TikTok, Instagram, or Amazon sponsoring the event and buying tables. Furthermore, it means that the event which once was known for its srict guestlist is not opening up – again, to those who can afford the USD 100,000-tickets or USD 300,000+ tables. No offense, but tech bros are not necessarily known for their fashion-sense. Will this mean that the Met Gala loses/or has lost its focus?

If you work in fashion, it is difficult to not cover the Met Gala over the coming days. But these developments, paired with what is going on geopolitically around the world, there have been many questions around the decency of this Gala. Some call it a hyper-capitalist event for the super-rich in times when the world has much bigger problems. New York mayor Zohran Mamdami will not attend (posters asking for a boycott of the event have been seen all over New York), neither will Meryl Streep or Billie Eilish. Is it still OK to cover this Gala?

I thought long and hard if I wanted to do that – over the years, I have also increasingly become bored with the Gala and questioned whether the spectacle is really necessary. But then I think of one thing: the exhibition, the museum and the people behind it. In times like today, the focus is less and less on arts and culture and it is usually the sector which needs to defend its existence first. But even in difficult times, arts and culture are crucial and they need support. I did not want to punish the field overall and the people behind this exhibition in particular – the curators, consultants, artists and everyone else who contributed in bringing the exhibition alive. These people do not necessarily agree with the spectacle either – and over the past years Bolton and his team have invested the money raised during the Met Gala wisely to make the Institute less dependent on the Gala.

A Prominent Space for Fashion

This year, the Met Gala not only marks the opening of the exhibition itself but also the inauguration of the Condé M. Nast Galleries, which means the new permanent galleries of the Met. Fashion is often being treated as a stepchild by many art museums. Fashion exhibitions are often only temporary, the exhibits are rarely shown in prominent spaces – despite the major pull factor of fashion or art museums. Think about the Chanel Fashion Manifesto exhibition at the V&A in London which was sold out for months. Or also exhibitions at the Met itself – the Alexander McQueen exhibition and China through the Looking Glass are still two of the most successful exhibitions in terms of visitors. Nevertheless, the question whether fashion can be art can be a highly philosophical one. The Met Costume Institute clearly answers it with a “yes” and sets an important example for fashion in museums. “For an art museum to position fashion in the centre of the building is symbolic,”^[2] Bolton said. “I think people are realising not just the aesthetic value of fashion, but the social, cultural and personal ones.”^[3]

Costume Art – The Dressed Body

This year’s exhibition also addresses the very same question and builds a bridge between fashion and other artforms like painting or sculpture. It spans over 5,000 years which are covered at the Metropolitan Musem and about 400 objects are part of Costume Art. The exhibition will present body types, such as the “Naked Body” and the “Classical Body,” but also body shapes which have traditionally been overlooked, like the “Pregnant Body” or the “Aging Body”. The “Anatomical Body,” and the “Mortal Body,” are two examples of the exploration of universal bodily experiences.^[4]

Instead of merely displaying fashion on mannequins, the curators decided to pair garments with works of art to illustrate their similarities. For example, an ensemble by Rei Kawakubo for Comme des Garçons (Fall/Winter 2017/18) is exhibited next to The Reclaimed Body: La Poupée – a sculpture by German artist Hans Bellmer from ca. 1936. The similarities are very clear – the body shape may have even been inspired by the 30,000 years-old Venus of Willendorf. Kawakubo’s “Venus” may not be something which we see at the bus stop every day, the designer stands for avant-garde. The link to other forms of art could not be more obvious.

Another prominent pair of the exhibition is Abrecht Dürer’s The Naked Body: Adam and Eve next to an ensemble by Belgian designer Walter Van Beirendonck who is one of the famous Antwerp Six. However, when looking at this pair, you may think how these nude depictions link to the “dressed body” mentioned at the beginning of this article. Bolton has a plausible explanation for this and said that “even the nude is never really naked”^[5] as it is always associated “with cultural values and ideas”^[6].

Mannequins used in fashion exhibitions usually do not play a prominent role. They serve the purpose of showing the garments but mostly disappear themselves. In some of the previous exhibitions at the Costume Institute, the mannequins played a slightly more prominent role – for example in last year’s Superfine: Tayloring Black Style or also for the Lagerfeld exhibition in 2023. However, this year, the mannequins play a more active part in the exhibition. The Institute partnered with artist Samar Hejazi who created mirrored heads for these mannequins. This exhibition encourages visitors to connect with the clothes – as if they put themselves into the shoes of the mannequins, literally. Visitors can move beyond merely looking at fashion, the mirrored mannequins allow them to live the experience.

Regarding the Met Gala outfits, the topic “Fashion Is Art” which is inspired by the exhibition may be easier. It is likely that many guests will wear heavily structured designs or interesting shapes – if they bother to read the brief about the background of theme “Fashion is Art” at all. And we can bet that this year, there will be nudity – even more than in previous years.

Costume Art probably attracts a different crowd than previous exhbitions. It may be more geared towards the art crowd, the “nerds”. It is unlikely that this exhibition will catch the attention of the influencer crowd like other exhibitions – e.g. the Lagerfeld exhibition – did. It will be challenging to just take “instagrammable” photos or overly aesthetic videos without also communicating the context, learning about the artist’s visions and ideas. The latter is not a priority by the influencer crowd. It was probably easier to walk into the Lagerfeld exhibition and pick a room, take a selfie and get your likes. Maybe this is a sign that art museums are also slowly moving away from superficial content?

It is likely that the strategy of this exhibition is intentional – the curators may actually want less hype. Financing of museums is never easy – but in times like today it is even trickier. How is investment in the arts justified when there are so many other issues? The Met Costume Institute heavily depends on the donations of the Met Gala. Hence, playing the social media game and bowing to the media hype – and certain guests and sponsors – is probably part of their survival. But maybe this exhibition is the Costume Insitute’s own way to rebel – even if it is a rather quiet approach. They wanted to give us some food for thought. This does not mean that the previous exhibitions did not – not at all. But “Costume Art” may be a quiet antidote to the flashy Met Gala, which is just about clicks and likes. Maybe this exhibition is an attempt to focus on things which actually matter in the arts – more than just a viral reel.

Disclaimer

This article is based on the personal, views, experiences and research of the author, no fees were received by the organisations and people mentioned above. All information is alleged, as of the date of publishing/updating and for entertainment purposes only.

Footnotes

[1] Met Costume Institute 2026 & Vogue 2026.

[2] The Guardian 2026.

[3] Met Costume Institute 2026.

[4] The Guardian 2026.

[5] Vogue 2026.

[6] ibid.

Sources

The Guardian, Fashion’s Faustian pact: the high cost of Jeff Bezos’s Met Gala patronage

Billionaire’s role as honorary chair and main source of funding has led to boycotts and criticism event has lost its cachet, published by Morwenna Ferrier, on 3 May 2026, last accessed on 4 May 2026.

Vogue, “Costume Art” Is the First Exhibition in the Costume Institute’s New Permanent Galleries at The Met, published by Nicole Phelps, on 17 November 2025, last accessed on 4 May 2026.

Criticism of the Met Gala

A Prominent Space for Fashion

Costume Art – The Dressed Body

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