Venus Williams Co-Chairs 2026 Met Gala Celebrating 'Costume Art' in New Condé Nast Galleries

The 2026 Met Gala and its accompanying exhibition, 'Costume Art,' were unveiled at a press conference on May 4, 2026, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Venus Williams, a co-chair for the gala, spoke about her personal connection to fashion, recalling her mother sewing her first tennis skirt at age 14. The exhibition explores how fashion and art depict the human body and its role in culture. It marks the debut of the Costume Institute's new permanent Condé M. Nast Galleries, a 12,000-square-foot space relocated from the basement to the first floor off the Great Hall. Met director Max Hollein stated that the move signifies fashion's growing importance, asserting that 'fashion is art.' Curator Andrew Bolton, wearing a Thom Browne suit, explained that the exhibition reimagines art history through the dressed body, noting that 'clothing is never neutral.' The press conference gathered fashion luminaries including Thom Browne, Michael Kors, Tory Burch, and Anthony Vaccarello. 'Costume Art' opens to the public on May 10, 2026.