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The Met Gala 2026 to Celebrate Fashion as Art with ‘Costume Art’ Theme
‘Costume Art’ is the theme for the 2026 Met Gala, placing fashion and the dressed body at the centre of the exhibition.
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The Met Gala 2026 theme has officially been revealed, and it promises to place fashion at the heart of art.
The annual Costume Institute Benefit, one of fashion’s biggest nights, will take place on Monday, 4 May 2026 in New York. This year’s event will coincide with the opening of the spring 2026 exhibition at The Met, and 120 guests from across the globe are expected to attend.
The theme, “Costume Art,” aims to explore the ways clothing and the human form interact throughout history. According to The Met, the exhibition will examine Western art from prehistory to the present, showcasing thematic body types that appear again and again across time and space. The curators hope to highlight how garments shape representations of the body, and how the body, in turn, shapes the garments worn.
Andrew Bolton, Curator in Charge of The Costume Institute, explained that the exhibition focuses on the dressed body in every corner of the Museum. From the classical nude to contemporary representations, every gallery connects fashion and art in unique ways. The theme suggests that visitors might see a corresponding emphasis on the body in the Gala’s future dress code, which has not yet been announced.
The exhibition will also inaugurate the new Condé M. Nast Galleries, nearly 12,000 square feet of space adjacent to The Met’s Great Hall. Here, historical and contemporary garments will be displayed alongside works from across the Museum’s collection, creating a dialogue between fashion and art. The galleries were made possible by Condé Nast, with additional support from Thom Browne, Michael Kors and Lance Le Pere, Saint Laurent, Tory Burch LLC, and others.
Starting 10 May 2026, the exhibition will be open to the public through 10 January 2027, offering a chance to see clothing presented not just as decoration, but as an artistic medium reflecting cultural ideas, social norms, and individual expression.
The 2026 Met Gala co-chairs and honorary chairs will be announced in the coming months, along with the Gala Host Committee. As always, funds raised from the event will support The Costume Institute’s exhibitions, acquisitions, and operations.
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