5 Esoteric Art References Spotted at the 2026 Met Gala

The 2026 Met Gala, themed "Fashion is Art" and celebrating the "Costume Art" exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, featured numerous red carpet looks inspired by art history. Among the most talked-about were five deeper-cut references. Angela Bassett wore a pink Prabal Gurung gown referencing Laura Wheeler Waring's "Girl in a Pink Dress," accessorized with Messika diamond jewelry. Chase Infiniti debuted at the Met Gala in a Thom Browne full-color interpretation of the Louvre's Venus de Milo. Singer Audrey Nuna wore Robert Wun's "The Pigment" ensemble, a white dress with black crystal beads evoking a Jackson Pollock splatter painting. Jamie Soros paid homage to the Met's unofficial mascot, William the Hippo, an ancient Egyptian faience figurine from 1917, with a black and turquoise Bach Mai gown. Artist Amy Sherald arrived as her own 2014 painting "Miss Everything (Unsuppressed Deliverance)," which previously appeared on a New Yorker cover, wearing a custom Thom Browne. The event took place on May 4, 2026, in New York City.