The Met unveils spring 2026 exhibition ‘Costume Art’, plots new Condé Nast galleries

New York’s The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met) has unveiled the concept of The Costume Institute's upcoming spring 2026 exhibition, titled ‘Costume Art’. Due to open from May 10, 2026, running through January 10, 2027, the exhibition will “examine the centrality of the dressed body”, a press release revealed.

With a primary focus on Western art from prehistory to the present, Costume Art intends to highlight the relationship between clothing and the body, specifically questioning how artistic representations of a body can be shaped by garments, and vice versa. The Museum will utilise its collection of art juxtaposed against historical and contemporary garments from The Costume Institute, all organised into thematic body types, ranging from the ‘Naked Body’ to the ‘Classical Body’.

In a statement, curator in charge at The Costume Institute, Andrew Bolton, said: “Rather than prioritising fashion’s visuality, which often comes at the expense of the corporeal, Costume Art privileges its materiality and the indivisible connection between our bodies and the clothes we wear.”

With the exhibition, which also gives a hint as to what the theme of next year’s Met Gala will be, The Met will inaugurate new galleries adjacent to the Great Hall, where Costume Art will be on display. The 12,000 square foot space, which will also house shows from other curatorial departments, is to be named after the late Condé M. Nast, recognising a “significant lead gift” from the namesake media group.

The galleries’ opening is the first in what The Met says are two major initiatives related to the Great Hall. The second involves the museum’s entrance at 83rd Street and Fifth Avenue, alongside the rejuvenation of its dining and retail spaces, including The Met Store.

Speaking on the launch, Max Hollein, The Met’s Marina Kellen French director and CEO, said: “The newly designed, state-of-the-art Condé M. Nast Galleries further reflect The Met's commitment to displaying and appreciating fashion as an art form, and also to continually investing in gallery improvement projects that will benefit our visitors for generations to come. We are deeply grateful to all of our donors for their remarkable generosity to create these new, grand public galleries.”