A New York go-to: fashion at The Met

4 May 2026

A New York go-to: fashion at The Met

Metropolitan Museum of Art exterior with 'Fashion & Art' embossed text in a sunny scene

Behind the scenes: a new architectural chapter

A newly released video from The Metropolitan Museum of Art offers a rare look behind the scenes of its latest addition: the Condé M. Nast Galleries. Published just hours ahead of today's Met Gala, the timing underlines a broader shift—fashion is no longer a temporary guest in the museum, but part of its architectural core. In the video, director Max Hollein speaks alongside architects Miriam Peterson and Nathan Rich of Peterson Rich Office. They explain how the museum has evolved over decades, growing through layers of additions rather than a single master plan. Their intervention continues this process: a careful transformation of existing space into a sequence of interconnected galleries. The architects describe their approach as a close reading of the building itself. Materials such as limestone echo the historic fabric of the museum, while new thresholds and transitions guide visitors through five distinct but connected rooms. The result is a contemporary exhibition environment that still feels anchored in the museum's long architectural history.

Condé Nast Galleries: fashion moves to the center

The nearly 12,000-square-foot galleries are located directly next to the Great Hall—one of the most visible and visited areas of the museum. This central placement signals a change in status for fashion within the institution. Named after Condé Nast and its founder, the galleries reflect the long-standing relationship between publishing, fashion, and cultural institutions. Condé Nast titles, including Vogue, have historically shaped how fashion is documented, interpreted, and circulated globally. Their support now extends into the physical space where fashion is exhibited as part of art history. The new galleries replace earlier temporary and below-ground installations. They are designed as a permanent home for major fashion exhibitions, offering flexibility for different curatorial approaches while maintaining a consistent spatial identity.

"Costume Art": the inaugural exhibition

Opening on May 10, the first exhibition in the new galleries, Costume Art, brings together nearly 400 objects from across the museum's collection. Garments are presented alongside artworks from different periods, creating dialogues between clothing and representations of the human body. The exhibition explores themes such as the "Classical Body," the "Anatomical Body," the "Pregnant Body" or the "Aging Body," highlighting how fashion and art have always been interconnected. Rather than treating clothing as decoration, the show positions it as an embodied art form—linked to movement, identity, and physical experience. This curatorial concept aligns with broader discussions in fashion today, where garments are increasingly understood in relation to performance, identity, and cultural meaning.

Met Gala 2026: "Fashion is Art"

The opening of the galleries is closely tied to today's Met Gala, the annual fundraising event for the museum's Costume Institute. This year's theme, Costume Art, and the dress code—"Fashion is Art"—extend the exhibition's ideas onto the red carpet. The Gala, traditionally held on the first Monday in May, plays a crucial role in funding exhibitions, acquisitions, and research. It also acts as a global media moment, where fashion, celebrity, and art intersect in real time.

A new destination for fashion visitors

With the Condé M. Nast Galleries, The Met establishes a permanent destination for fashion within its vast encyclopedic collection. For visitors interested in costume, textiles, and visual culture, the new space is likely to become essential.

• Central location next to the Great Hall
• Permanent galleries dedicated to fashion exhibitions
• Flexible architecture for evolving curatorial formats
• Direct connection between art history and contemporary fashion

For Fashion.at, the galleries are already on the go-to list for New York. They offer a clear message: fashion is not only displayed in museums—it is fully integrated into how museums define art today.

Image: Sunlit, photo-realistic view of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s grand façade with visitors on the steps and a clear blue sky, combined with embossed 'Fashion & Art' lettering in soft sand tones. Illustration: © Fashion.at, AI-generated with ChatGPT.