This is the show the 2026 Met Gala was thrown for, and it inaugurates nearly 12,000 square feet of new galleries right off the Great Hall. Each room pairs a garment with a painting or sculpture from another Met department, so a Maison Margiela assemblage can stand beside a nineteenth-century marble and both look different for it. If you only have time for one exhibition at the Met, make it this one.
What to expect
You enter from the Great Hall into a sequence of purpose-built rooms in Gallery 099, arranged as pairings rather than a chronology. Mannequins are lit like sculpture and the wall labels do the comparing for you. It is one of the Met's busiest galleries, so expect to queue at the doorway during peak afternoon hours.
Good to know
- Take the 4/5/6 to 86th Street or the Q to 72nd and walk through Central Park to the Fifth Avenue steps
- Gallery 099 sits just off the Great Hall, so head there first before the museum fills up
- Included with general admission; New York State residents can still pay what they wish
- Mid-morning and the last two hours of the day are the calmest times to walk through
- Good for fashion, design and art-history visitors alike; kids tend to enjoy the mannequins
- The exhibition catalogue is sold in the shop just outside the galleries
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Common questions
Do I need a separate ticket?
No. Costume Art is free with Museum admission, though you still need a general admission ticket or membership card to enter the Met.
Is it the same show as the Met Gala theme?
Yes. It is the Costume Institute's 2026 spring exhibition, the one the Gala celebrates each May.
How crowded does it get?
Very, on weekend afternoons. Arriving within the first hour of opening, or in the last two hours before close, makes a real difference.
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