Costume Art at The Met Explores Body Through Fashion and Art

The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute opens "Costume Art," a major exhibition curated by Andrew Bolton, on May 10, 2026, running through January 10, 2027. Housed in the new 12,000-square-foot Condé Nast Galleries, designed by Peterson Rich architects Miriam Peterson and Nathan Rich, the space underwent a three-year renovation of the former gift shop. Over 400 objects spanning centuries are juxtaposed with fine art, tracing dialogues between body, aesthetics, and cultural identity. The exhibition is organized into thematic sections: "The Naked & Nude Body" (Adam and Eve, Western traditions), "Bodily Being in its Diversity" (Greco-Roman ideals), "The Abstract Body" (body modification from Middle Ages to contemporary shapewear), "Pregnant and Disabled Body" (reclaiming vulnerability), and "Vital Body" (anatomy and viscera). Notable contemporary works include a mannequin of activist Aaron Rose Philip wearing Willie Norris Workshop's "Queer Capital" T-shirt, and Yoav Hadari's "Corpus Nervina 0.0" dress with recycled yarns and embroidery referencing the nervous system. Historical artists include Pablo Picasso, Vincent van Gogh, Edvard Munch, and Andy Warhol, alongside Yayoi Kusama, Anselm Kiefer, and Lucy Jones. Designers featured include Elsa Schiaparelli, Miyake Design Studio, Jean Paul Gaultier, and Brazilian Renata Buzzo, whose "Corset Anatomia" addresses femicide. The exhibition uses faceless mannequins with mirrors to insert viewers into the dialogue.