Met's Costume Institute Opens New Galleries with 'Costume Art' Exhibition

The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute inaugurated its new Condé Nast galleries on May 10, 2026, with the exhibition 'Costume Art'. Designed by Brooklyn-based firm Petersen Rich, the 12,000 sq ft space occupies the former lobby gift shop, allowing for longer and more ambitious shows. The exhibition features 400 objects from across the Met's 19 departments alongside clothing from the Costume Institute's holdings, tracing the dressed body through 5,000 years of art history. Curated by Andrew Bolton, the show explores themes from the naked body to diverse body types including the Corpulent Body, Pregnant Body, and Disabled Body. Highlights include a 16th-century engraving of Adam and Eve paired with a Walter Van Beirendonck bodystocking, a 1960s monokini next to a 1500 BCE Iranian figurine, and Alexander McQueen's prosthetic boots for Paralympian Aimee Mullins. The exhibition runs through January 10, 2027.