The Body as Canvas: Inside the 2026 Met Gala and "Costume Art"

New York, NY | May 4, 2026

Collage: “Delphos” gown, Fortuny (Italian), Adèle Henriette Elisabeth Nigrin Fortuny and Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo, 1920s. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Frances J. Kiernan, 2005 (2005.328); Terracotta statuette of Nike, the personification of victory, late 5th century BCE. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Rogers Fund, 1907 (07.286.23). Artwork by Julie Wolfe.

The first Monday in May has long been the undisputed pinnacle of the global fashion calendar, but the 2026 Met Gala is poised to carry a historical gravity unlike any in recent memory. This year, the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute will unveil "Costume Art," an exhibition that serves as a profound manifesto for fashion’s status as a primary art form rather than a mere decorative craft. This landmark event also serves as a literal and figurative expansion for the Museum, as the exhibition will be the inaugural show in the new Condé M. Nast Galleries. This nearly 12,000-square-foot state-of-the-art space, located directly adjacent to the Great Hall and designed by the Brooklyn-based architecture firm Peterson Rich Office, reflects a permanent commitment to fashion as a central pillar of the Met’s 5,000-year history.

Curated by Andrew Bolton, the exhibition moves away from the traditional chronological or designer-focused retrospective to explore the raw, intimate, and often visceral relationship between the dressed body and the art it inspires. By pairing garments with classical sculptures, anatomical sketches, and contemporary works from across the Met’s vast collection, the show treats the mannequin and the masterpiece as equals. The narrative is organized into thematic body types that explore the universality of the human form, ranging from the "Classical Body"—beautifully represented by a 1920s Fortuny "Delphos" gown—to more challenging explorations of the "Pregnant Body," the "Aging Body," and the "Mortal Body." By prioritizing materiality over mere visuality, Bolton intends to remind visitors that fashion is an embodied art form that only truly comes to life when in contact with the human frame.

The leadership for this year’s gala represents a rare alignment of global titans, featuring a co-chair quartet that includes Beyoncé, marking her highly anticipated return to the Met steps after a decade, alongside Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, and Anna Wintour. The evening’s influence extends further with a Gala Host Committee led by Saint Laurent’s Anthony Vaccarello and Zoë Kravitz, featuring a list of cultural drivers such as Sabrina Carpenter, LISA, Doja Cat, and Misty Copeland.

For the Vivant reader, this year’s gala is more than a social fixture; it is a masterclass in modern relevance. With a theme focusing on the materiality of the body, the red carpet is expected to favor sculptural draping and anatomical trompe l’oeil over traditional camp, signaling a return to couture that celebrates the physical form as the ultimate canvas.