The next Met Gala exhibit will spotlight fashion across art history

NEW YORK (AP) — If there's been one uniting theme of all the blockbuster fashion exhibits at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, it’s the simple idea that fashion is art.

“Costume Art,” announced Monday as the next big show at the museum’s Costume Institute — launched by the starry Met Gala in 2026 — aims to make that connection more literal than ever, pairing garments with objects from across the museum to show how fashion has long been intertwined with different art forms.

Max Hollein, CEO and director of the Met, said in an interview ahead of Monday’s announcement that he hopes the exhibit will take visitors to the New York museum on a (very fashionable) journey through art history, where they will see connections throughout.

“It’s a show that can really live in fascinating ways at the museum and can pull from all different areas of our collection — paintings, sculpture, drawings,” Hollein said.

“I hope we all agree that fashion is art,” Hollein added. “But actually I think the exhibition … will make it obvious how fashion is actually happening, so to say, all across the museum and in all different mediums already.”

The new show will examine the dressed body, and will be organized thematically by different body types, according to the Costume Institute's curator in charge, Andrew Bolton. It will include the “Naked Body” and the “Classical Body,” for example, but also less expected themes like the “Pregnant Body” and the “Aging Body.”

The connections that will be drawn between artworks and garments will range, curators said in a statement, “from the formal to the conceptual, the aesthetic to the political, the individual to the universal, the illustrative to the symbolic, and the playful to the profound.”

One example: in the “Naked Body” section, a 1504 print from German artist Albrecht Dürer will be paired with spandex bodysuits by Belgian designer Walter Van Beirendonck from a 2009 collection that revisits the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

On hand for Monday's announcement was Misty Copeland, who recently retired from American Ballet Theatre after a trailblazing career that saw her become the company's first Black female principal dancer. In her remarks, she spoke of the interplay between fashion and dance and said the show makes a “powerful case for the body, in all its forms, as a work of art, worthy of being seen, elevated, and celebrated.”

“Of course, both fashion and dance have long held up an ‘ideal’ body, one that has historically meant thin, white, and female. That bias shaped my own experience,” she said. “Early in my career, I was made to feel that my body didn’t fit the mold. My skin was too dark, my muscles too defined. Being a Black woman and a ballerina was presented almost as a contradiction.”

Copeland said she fought to challenge that idea and stood “firmly in the value and beauty of my body, and of the many Black and brown dancers whose bodies have so often been overlooked.” The new exhibit — following the lauded “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” which focused on Black menswear — adds to that conversation, Copeland said.

It’s also a show that will have a new home. “Costume Art,” which opens to the public May 10, will inaugurate new gallery space occupying some 12,000 square feet (1,115 square meters), right off the museum’s Great Hall.

That means that when the A-listers come up the main steps on May 4 at the Met Gala — perhaps dressed to channel famous objects of art — they will be only feet from the exhibit, making it easier to view the art before sipping and socializing. (Gala details — such as the celebrity hosts and specific dress code — will be shared later.)

Hollein said the museum was mainly concerned with giving fashion a more prominent home — and giving regular visitors a smoother experience. In past years, long lines for fashion exhibits would snake through other galleries and create bottlenecks in inconvenient places.

The new Conde M. Nast galleries — created from what was formerly the museum’s retail store — will house not only all spring Costume Institute exhibits to come, but other shows from different parts of the museum.

Bolton said in a statement that the gallery space “will mark a pivotal moment for the department, one that acknowledges the critical role fashion plays not only within art history but also within contemporary culture.”

“Costume Art” opens to the public May 10, 2026, and runs until Jan. 10, 2027.

This story has been updated to correct the date of the 2026 Met Gala. It's May 4, not May 5.

Misty Copeland, who recently retired from American Ballet Theatre, speaks during the announcement, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New York, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, about the next spring fashion exhibit "Costume Art," which is set to launch at the Met Gala in 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

A spandex bodysuit by Belgian designer Walter Van Beirendonck from a 2009 collection, right, is displayed during the announcement, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New York, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, about the next spring fashion exhibit "Costume Art," which is set to launch at the Met Gala in 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

"Bustle" by Charles James, right, is displayed at the announcement, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New York, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, about the next spring fashion exhibit "Costume Art," which is set to launch at the Met Gala in 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Designer Michel Kors, second left, former Vogue magazine's editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, third left, and Misty Copeland, right, who recently retired from American Ballet Theatre, listen during the announcement, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New York, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, about the next spring fashion exhibit "Costume Art," which is set to launch at the Met Gala in 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

"Corset Anatomia" by Renata Buzzo, right, is displayed during the announcement, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New York, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, about the next spring fashion exhibit "Costume Art," which is set to launch at the Met Gala in 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

FILE - People sit outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 2, 2020 in New York. (AP Photo/Ron Blum, file)

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander isn't scoring the way he usually does, but the Oklahoma City Thunder are still winning the way they normally do.

Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning NBA MVP, averaged 31.1 points during the regular season. In the Western Conference semifinals against the Los Angeles Lakers, he is averaging 20 points and taking only 14 shots per game.

Oklahoma City has still won the first two games by an average of 18 points. Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren each scored 22 points, and the defending champion Thunder beat the Lakers 125-107 on Thursday night.

Ajay Mitchell, starting in place of injured Jalen Williams, is averaging 19 points on 50% shooting in the series for Oklahoma City.

“I think the coaching staff does a good job at just getting all of us ready,” said Mitchell, a second-year guard. "And we have a lot of competitors. Like, everyone’s a competitor on our team. So every time the lights are bright, everyone’s ready to go.”

Holmgren is the leading scorer for the Thunder in the best-of-seven series with 23 points per game. The 2026 All-Star also is averaging 10.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks.

Jared McCain, a midseason acquisition from the Philadelphia 76ers, barely played in the first round against Phoenix but has averaged 15 points and made 8 of 10 3-pointers in the series.

“He goes in there, stays in character, stays aggressive," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. "He’s going to shoot the next shot. He makes the right plays, plays inside the team. He competes defensively, has had good defensive possessions for us. And he was huge tonight. You need that in a playoff series.”

The Lakers again were without scoring champion Luka Doncic, who is out indefinitely with a strained left hamstring. They also were missing forward Jarred Vanderbilt, the reserve forward who dislocated the pinkie on his right hand during the second quarter of Game 1. The Lakers had three players finish with five fouls, limiting their aggressiveness late in the game.

Los Angeles guard Austin Reaves, who struggled with his shot in Game 1, scored 31 points on 10-for-16 shooting in Game 2. LeBron James, coming off a 27-point effort in Game 1, followed that up with 23.

With the Lakers up 63-61 early in the third quarter, Gilgeous-Alexander got tied up with Reaves and was called for his fourth foul. Upon review, it was upgraded to a flagrant 1 for Gilgeous-Alexander's follow through. Oklahoma City's Alex Caruso was called for a technical foul as the situation was being sorted out.

Gilgeous-Alexander left the game with the Lakers up 65-61, but the Thunder rallied and took control without him. On a fast break, Holmgren found a trailing Jaylin Williams, who hit a 3-pointer and was fouled. His free throw put the Thunder up 85-74.

The Thunder outscored the Lakers 32-15 while Gilgeous-Alexander was out in the third quarter to take a 93-80 lead into the fourth.

“It was amazing," Gilgeous-Alexander said. “They strung together stops, they’re playing the right way offensively and things are going their way. Full confidence in those guys. They know how to win basketball games. And we've proven that. They’ve proven that no matter who’s on the floor, they know how to get the job done. And they just did it again tonight."

The Lakers cut Oklahoma City's lead to five in the fourth quarter before the Thunder pulled away again.

Los Angeles will host Game 3 on Saturday.

“We just stuck with it,” Holmgren said. “It’s the game of basketball. It’s not always going to go your way. It’s about how you respond. And this team has proven many times that we know how to respond. And we did so tonight.”

This story has been corrected to show that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 20, not 19, points per game against the Lakers.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

Oklahoma City Thunder's Chet Holmgren (7) shoots over Los Angeles Lakers' Austin Reaves (15) in the second half of Game 2 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell, front, works for a shot as Los Angeles Lakers' Austin Reaves, rear, defends in the second half of Game 2 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James stands on the court in the second half of Game 2 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series against the Oklahoma City Thunder Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) drives to the basket past Los Angeles Lakers' Deandre Ayton (5) and LeBron James, rear, in the second half of Game 2 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren (7) works to the basket against Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura (28) in the second half of Game 2 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)