Met’s ‘Costume Art’ Review: Body Classification Over Art History

The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute spring exhibition ‘Costume Art’ pairs nearly 400 garments with artworks from the permanent collection in ahistoric dyads, organized by body-themed galleries such as ‘Naked Body’, ‘Disabled Body’, and ‘Corpulent Body’. The review criticizes the show’s quasi-taxonomic classification of bodies, which implies a hierarchy starting with the ‘Classical Body’ and treating other categories as deviations. Mannequins cast from real people, including trans model Alex Consani and disability activist Sinéad Burke, appear heroic, but pairings like Rick Owens’ ensemble with Andrew Wyeth’s study of Christina Olson raise questions about representation. The exhibition is sponsored by Jeff and Lauren Sánchez Bezos and runs through 10 January 2027 at The Met Fifth Avenue.