Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman and Venus Williams to Co-Chair 2026 Met Gala as Costume Institute Moves to New Galleries

Key facts

• The 2026 Met Gala takes place on May 4, the first Monday in May.
• Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams and Anna Wintour are co-chairs.
• The theme and dress code are 'Costume Art' and 'Fashion Is Art' respectively.
• The gala is the inaugural event for the new Condé M. Nast Galleries at the Met.
• The exhibition includes about 400 garments, accessories and artworks.
• Vogue’s livestream starts at 6 p.m. ET on May 4 across YouTube and TikTok.
• Last year’s gala raised a record $31 million before the exhibit opened.
• Emma Chamberlain returns as Vogue’s red carpet correspondent.

A New Home for Fashion at the Met

The 2026 Met Gala marks a historic shift for the Costume Institute, which is moving out of its basement headquarters into the newly christened Condé M. Nast Galleries, located just off the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Great Hall in what was formerly the museum’s gift shop. The galleries are named after Condé Nast, the early-20th-century publishing magnate who acquired Vogue, Vanity Fair and House & Garden, and who, according to biographer Caroline Seebohm, 'gave fashion photography artistic legitimacy' and helped it find its way into galleries and museums. The gala, set for Monday, May 4, serves as a coming-out party for the space, which will house the annual spring Costume Institute shows as well as exhibitions from other Met departments. The evening’s honorary chairs, Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez, helped underwrite the event, underscoring the deep pockets behind fashion’s biggest night.

The Theme: Fashion as an Embodied Art Form

The exhibition, titled 'Costume Art,' explores the relationship between fashion and the human body, drawing from the Met’s collection of garments and art objects dating back to the 1st century CE. Organized into thematic body types such as 'the pregnant body,' 'the aging body' and 'the naked body,' the show aims to highlight the 'indivisible connection' between clothing and the body, according to lead curator Andrew Bolton. Bolton said he wanted to 'focus on the centrality of the dressed body within the Museum,' adding that the exhibition 'privileges its materiality and the indivisible connection between our bodies and the clothes we wear.' The dress code, 'Fashion Is Art,' invites guests to 'express their own relationship to fashion as an embodied art form,' the Met stated. The exhibition opens to gala attendees on Monday night and to the general public on May 10.

A Star-Studded Host Committee

Anna Wintour, chief content officer for Condé Nast, is joined by co-chairs Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman and Venus Williams. Beyoncé’s appearance marks her first Met Gala in a decade. The host committee also includes co-chairs Anthony Vaccarello of Saint Laurent and Zoe Kravitz, along with Sabrina Carpenter, Lena Dunham, Alex Consani, Doja Cat and many others. The guest list is invite-only, and the red carpet will be livestreamed by Vogue starting at 6 p.m. ET on May 4 across its digital platforms, including YouTube and TikTok. Emma Chamberlain returns as Vogue’s red carpet correspondent, while Ashley Graham, Cara Delevingne and La La Anthony will host the stream. E! will also broadcast a segment, 'Live From E!: Met Gala 2026,' hosted by Ciara Miller, Bronwyn Newport, Renee Montgomery, Christian Siriano and Chris Appleton, available on DirecTV, Hulu + Live TV and Peacock.

The Stakes: A Record Fundraiser and Cultural Statement

The Met Gala is the Costume Institute’s primary fundraiser, and last year’s event raised a record $31 million before the exhibit even opened. The 2026 gala is expected to match or exceed that figure, with the new galleries adding a layer of prestige. The exhibition itself, featuring about 400 pieces, pairs contemporary and vintage fashion with paintings and sculptures, aiming to spark a conversation on the 'complex interplay between artistic representations of the body and fashion as an embodied artform.' Artist Maurizio Cattelan, quoted in Vogue’s preview, captured the moment: 'Fashion no longer asks for permission from art, and art no longer pretends to ignore fashion. They’ve understood they share the same obsession: the body, power, desire, status.' The gala thus serves not only as a fundraiser but as a cultural statement about the legitimacy of fashion as an art form.

What Comes Next: The Exhibition and Public Access

After the gala, 'Costume Art' opens to the public on May 10, running through the spring and summer. The exhibition is organized into subsections that examine different body types, offering a chronological and thematic journey through Western art from prehistory to the present. The new Condé M. Nast Galleries will continue to host future Costume Institute shows, cementing the institute’s move from the basement to a more prominent position within the museum. The dress code 'Fashion Is Art' is deliberately open to interpretation, leaving room for a wide range of red-carpet looks. With no obvious adherence to a specific time period or aesthetic, guests are free to celebrate fashion as an embodied art form, as the Met invites them to do. The night’s outcome will be measured not only in funds raised but in the cultural conversation it ignites.

The bottom line

• The 2026 Met Gala on May 4 inaugurates the Condé M. Nast Galleries, moving the Costume Institute from the basement to a prime location off the Great Hall.
• Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams and Anna Wintour co-chair the event, with Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez as honorary chairs.
• The theme 'Costume Art' and dress code 'Fashion Is Art' explore the relationship between fashion and the body, organized by body types like 'pregnant body' and 'aging body.'
• The exhibition includes about 400 pieces from the Met’s collection, pairing garments with art objects dating back to the 1st century CE.
• Vogue’s livestream starts at 6 p.m. ET on May 4, with Emma Chamberlain as red carpet correspondent and hosts Ashley Graham, Cara Delevingne and La La Anthony.
• Last year’s gala raised a record $31 million; the 2026 event is expected to match or exceed that figure.