Met Gala Theme Revealed
The Met Gala announced its 2026 theme as 'Fashion is Art' — the exhibition will pair 5,000 years of period textiles, ancient sculpture and avant‑garde fashion to present garments as total works of art. (hypercritic.org) Expect museum‑level curation and high fashion crossovers when the gala rolls around. (hypercritic.org)
The Metropolitan Museum’s spring 2026 Costume Institute exhibition is titled Costume Art and will be on view at The Met Fifth Avenue from May 10, 2026 through January 10, 2027. (metmuseum.org)) The museum says the show will present nearly 400 objects, pairing roughly 200 garments with about 200 works of art to interrogate the dressed body across cultures and centuries. (metmuseum.org)) Costume Art will inaugurate the Museum’s nearly 12,000‑square‑foot Condé Nast Galleries, a newly dedicated permanent fashion-gallery space located just off the Great Hall. (metmuseum.org)) Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams and Anna Wintour will co‑chair The Costume Institute Benefit on Monday, May 4, 2026, with Anthony Vaccarello and Zoë Kravitz named co‑chairs of the Gala Host Committee. (metmuseum.org)) Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos are serving as Honorary Chairs and lead sponsors for the Gala and exhibition, and the Host Committee roster includes Adut Akech, Angela Bassett, Tschabalala Self and Amy Sherald among other announced members. (metmuseum.org)) The Met states that proceeds from the May 4 benefit provide the Costume Institute’s primary source of annual funding for exhibitions, publications, acquisitions and operations. (metmuseum.org)) The exhibition and Gala plans were unveiled at a press announcement in November 2025 attended by curator Andrew Bolton and senior fashion figures, marking the launch of the Institute’s expanded galleries. (news.artnet.com))
