Long before 1946, when fashion was officially acknowledged as curatorial department at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a provocative question hovered over the profound daily act of getting dressed: Is fashion art? Can art be fashion?
Central to that provocative query is the body—you know, the very thing from which you read this sentence. The human form is perhaps the most important, foundational aspect of our existence, and thus plays a crucial role in the annals of art, stretching all the way from the Venus of Willendorf to Cindy Sherman’s warped and witty photographic self-portraits.
“Fashion is very much an art form not in spite of the body, but because of it,” says Andrew Bolton, OBE, curator in charge of the Costume Institute. And this year’s exhibition, “Costume Art,” seeks not just to address this tantalizingly complex issue, but to explore it in all its many facets. The central thesis is as simple as it is thrilling: pair existing artworks with corresponding garments or accessories and let your synapses fire. The very layout of the show—broken into sections that move from Biblical nudity to the au courant idea of body diversity to the ways in which we’ve long used clothes not merely to adorn but to subvert and distort the body—indicates just how richly drawn this subject is and why it’s mesmerized artists since time immemorial.
Additionally, this exhibition will be the first in the costume department’s new home, the Conde M. Nast Galleries. Once relegated to a modest 4,500-square-foot space in the museum’s basement, the department will now take flight in a grand, 12,000-square-foot display room on the ground floor, just off the central Great Hall. It is, says Max Hollein, the museum’s director, a symbol of how important clothing has become to The Met’s mission in exploring the many facets of art in the modern age. “We collect paintings, sculptures, textiles, arms and armor, but especially all the fashion,” he says. “And we want to make sure that it’s understood that fashion is a fantastic form of art.”
In the video above, Bolton, Hollhein, and members of the host committee weigh in on this very special exhibition, and you’ll see an exclusive first look at the items featured in the show. While the show may not forever settle the matter as to whether the fashion is art (or vice versa), it’s sure to get you pondering over it. And isn’t that the real point, after all?
Director: Nina LjetiDirectors of Photography: Michael Lopez, Henry GillEditor: Evan Allan
Senior Producer: Bety DerejeProducer: Rashida JosiahAssociate Producers: Anisa Kennar, Justine Ramirez, Lea DonenbergCamera Operator: Chanthila PhaophanitAssistant Camera: Kahdeem Prosper Jefferson, Gordan WongGaffers: Billy Voermann, Mary KalecinskaSwing: Alex FrischmanAudio: Mariya Chulichkova, Joanna HuntSet Designers: Ilana Portney, Dana KerenProduction Assistants: Quinton Johnson, Myles HaywoodRunners: Edie Chesters, Rachel Ademidun
Groomer for Andrew Bolton: Shin ArimaMakeup Artist for Sinéad Burke and Alex Consani: Ai YokomizoHairstylist for Sinéad Burke and Alex Consani: Sonny MolinaMakeup Artist for Misty Copeland: Victor HenaoHairstylist for Misty Copeland: Nai’vasha GraceMakeup Artist for Aariana Philip: Meadow Soleil CloudMakeup Artist for Gwendoline Christie: Daniel KolaricHairstylist for Gwendoline Christie: Joe KellyHair & Makeup Artist for Aimee Mullins: Stèfan Jemeel
Production Coordinator: Tanía JonesProduction Manager: Kristen HelmickSenior Production Manager: Venita Singh-WarnerLine Producer: Natasha Soto-Albors
Assistant Editors: Andy Morell, Fynn LithgowSenior Motion Graphics Designer: Samuel FullerPost Production Coordinator: Holly FrewSupervising Editor: Kameron KeyPost Production Supervisor: Alexa Deutsch
Entertainment Director: Sergio KletnoyGlobal Talent Casting Directors: Ignacio Murillo, Morgan SenesiExecutive Producer: Rahel GebreyesSenior Director, Digital Video: Romy van den BroekeSenior Director, Programming: Linda GittlesonVP, Video Programming: Thespena Guatieri
Florist: London Blooming HausPhotography By Paul WestlakeImages Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Special Thanks: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
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