New York, November 10, 2023 – The Metropolitan Museum of Art is set to redefine the boundaries of fashion and art with its Spring 2024 Exhibition and Gala, titled "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion." Announced on Wednesday, this ambitious project aims to bridge the realms of the natural world and haute couture, promising an immersive experience that transcends traditional fashion displays.
The exhibition, which will open its doors to the public from May 10 through September 2, 2024, is a bold exploration of the ephemeral nature of fashion, symbolized through the lens of nature’s cycles of rebirth and renewal. Approximately 250 garments and accessories, carefully curated from over four centuries of fashion history, will be showcased, each piece telling a story far beyond its visual appeal.
The exhibition, which will open its doors to the public from May 10 through September 2, 2024, is a bold exploration of the ephemeral nature of fashion, symbolized through the lens of nature’s cycles of rebirth and renewal. Approximately 250 garments and accessories, carefully curated from over four centuries of fashion history, will be showcased, each piece telling a story far beyond its visual appeal.
Andrew Bolton, the Wendy Yu Curator in Charge of the Costume Institute, highlights the innovative approach of the exhibition, emphasizing the revival of these historical and contemporary fashions through diverse technologies. "We aim to reanimate these artworks by re-awakening their sensory capacities," said Bolton, indicating a desire to reconnect visitors with the vibrancy and dynamism originally embodied by these garments.
A key feature of the exhibition is its multisensory approach. Visitors will be engaged through sight, smell, touch, and hearing, offering a deeper appreciation of fashion as an art form. The Met's collaboration with photographer Nick Knight and SHOWstudio, along with architecture firm Leong Leong, is set to bring this vision to life. Sissel Tolaas, a renowned smell artist and researcher, will contribute her expertise to enhance the sensory experience, allowing visitors to perceive the essence of garments beyond their visual aesthetics.
The Met's CEO, Max Hollein, underscores the exhibition’s goal to offer a new perspective on fashion masterpieces. "Sleeping Beauties will heighten our engagement with these fashion pieces by evoking how they feel, move, sound, and smell when being worn," Hollein stated, promising a journey that will lead visitors to rediscover the integrity, beauty, and artistic brilliance of fashion.
As anticipation builds for the Met Gala on May 6, 2024, the fashion world eagerly awaits what is expected to be a revolutionary event that not only celebrates the Costume Institute's Spring Exhibition but also heralds a new era in the presentation and appreciation of fashion as a multi-dimensional art form.
