Exploring The Met's New "Costume Art" Exhibit

Summary

Max Hollein, director and CEO of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, gives a private tour of the new Costume Art exhibit. The exhibit draws entirely from the Met's collection of 37,000 garments and took eight years to organize. Hollein discusses the museum's $1.5 billion renovation plan, new galleries, and the importance of fashion as an art form. The Met Gala raised $42 million to support museum programming.

• The Met's new Costume Art exhibit features only pieces from its own 37,000-garment collection.
• The exhibit took eight years to assemble and is housed in a former gift shop converted into grand exhibition galleries.
• Max Hollein emphasizes the perishable and space-intensive nature of collecting fashion.
• The Met is undergoing a $1.5 billion overhaul, including new galleries for modern and contemporary art.
• The museum had 6.3 million visitors last year, its highest since 2019.
• The Met Gala raised $42 million to fund the Costume Institute and broader museum activities.
• Hollein notes the museum's average visitor age is 35, with strong local and tourism attendance.
• The exhibit aims to show fashion's interconnectedness with other art forms and its immediate response to contemporary culture.