Anna Wintour Costume Center

The theme for the 2026 Met Gala and The Costume Institute’s annual exhibition has just been announced, ushering in a new season of fashion as art at The Met. Opening May 10, 2026, Costume Art will explore portrayals of the dressed body across Western art from prehistory to today, pairing garments with artworks to illuminate how fashion and the body have been represented through time. As the inaugural exhibition in the Museum’s new 12,000-square-foot galleries beside the Great Hall, it marks a significant expansion for the department and a bold new chapter for the Anna Wintour Costume Center.

Step inside the Anna Wintour Costume Center and you enter a world where fashion is elevated to high art, supported by state-of-the-art galleries that highlight more than 33,000 costumes and accessories from five continents and seven centuries. Each exhibition is meticulously curated to connect past and present through thoughtful narratives, a tradition underscored by blockbuster shows like Heavenly Bodies. This is the epicenter of sartorial innovation, celebrated each year by the legendary Met Gala, which will once again take center stage on May 4, 2026, to herald the debut of Costume Art.