“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.
Sinéad Burke, CEO of Tilting the Lens, emphasizes how this exhibit highlights bodies that have traditionally been overlooked, and as someone with a physical disability, she is among those featured. Her body has been memorialized in the exhibition as a custom mannequin, alongside model and musician Aariana Rose Philip, transforming their presence into a lasting part of the narrative around representation, fashion, and identity.
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.”
Featuring testimonials from Misty Copeland, Alex Consani, Gwendoline Christie, Aimee Mullins, Sinéad Burke, Aariana Rose Philip and more.
Director: Nina Ljeti
Directors of Photography: Michael Lopez, Henry Gill
Editor: Evan Allan
Senior Producer: Bety Dereje
Producer: Rashida Josiah
Associate Producers: Anisa Kennar, Justine Ramirez, Lea Donenberg
Camera Operator: Chanthila Phaophanit
Assistant Camera: Kahdeem Prosper Jefferson, Gordan Wong
Gaffers: Billy Voermann, Mary Kalecinska
Swing: Alex Frischman
Audio: Mariya Chulichkova, Joanna Hunt
Set Designers: Ilana Portney, Dana Keren
Production Assistants: Quinton Johnson, Myles Haywood
Runners: Edie Chesters, Rachel Ademidun
Groomer for Andrew Bolton: Shin Arima
Makeup Artist for Sinéad Burke and Alex Consani: Ai Yokomizo
Hairstylist for Sinéad Burke and Alex Consani: Sonny Molina
Makeup Artist for Misty Copeland: Victor Henao
Hairstylist for Misty Copeland: Nai’vasha Grace
Makeup Artist for Aariana Philip: Meadow Soleil Cloud
Makeup Artist for Gwendoline Christie: Daniel Kolaric
Hairstylist for Gwendoline Christie: Joe Kelly
Hair & Makeup Artist for Aimee Mullins: Stèfan Jemeel
Production Coordinator: Tanía Jones
Production Manager: Kristen Helmick
Senior Production Manager: Venita Singh-Warner
Line Producer: Natasha Soto-Albors
Assistant Editors: Andy Morell, Fynn Lithgow
Senior Motion Graphics Designer: Samuel Fuller
Post Production Coordinator: Holly Frew
Supervising Editor: Kameron Key
Post Production Supervisor: Alexa Deutsch
Entertainment Director: Sergio Kletnoy
Global Talent Casting Directors: Ignacio Murillo, Morgan Senesi
Executive Producer: Rahel Gebreyes
Senior Director, Digital Video: Romy van den Broeke
Senior Director, Programming: Linda Gittleson
VP, Video Programming: Thespena Guatieri
Florist: London Blooming Haus
Photography By Paul Westlake
Images Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Special Thanks: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
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@Ohana9999
April 29, 2024 at 1:51 pm
He’s BRITISH?????????
@hotturkin
April 29, 2024 at 1:52 pm
I love Alfred Molina. His part in Coffee and Cigarettes is one of his funniest scenes ever. Also watched Maverick a ton as a kid and was shocked when I learned he wasn’t Mexican American
@imhenrymiles
April 29, 2024 at 1:58 pm
L E G E N D
@thiagoteixeira6537
April 29, 2024 at 1:59 pm
He does a lot of voice acting too!
@Studeb
April 29, 2024 at 2:04 pm
Heartbreaking end to the video, I know what it was like to have a father who disapproved slightly to me following my dream, but at least he got to see me have some success, even though he still thought I would eventually go back to a traditional career. Must be very sad that his father never saw any of it.
@tiffanijill
April 29, 2024 at 2:09 pm
Such a wonderful actor! He’s currently on broadway in a production of Uncle Vanya with Steve Carrel. Check it out if you get the chance!
@otro34
April 29, 2024 at 2:16 pm
The last part had me in tears. I’ll look for some of his movies I’ve not seen. Such an amazing actor.
@brucejackson6451
April 29, 2024 at 2:24 pm
This is BY FAR the best of the many of these “career retrospectives” I’ve seen. I could listen to Alfred Molina tell stories until my own life was at an end. I pray he writes an autobiography, then records an unedited audio version. That’s my 4 pounds of chocolate.
@JinxNightcore
April 29, 2024 at 2:24 pm
I love him so much he’s my favorite actor and he’s very very handsome.????????????
@JinxNightcore
April 29, 2024 at 2:26 pm
It takes a lot to make me cry but seeing someone I love so much cry made me cry????????????????
@perlerforsvinpodcast7485
April 29, 2024 at 2:28 pm
It looks like his nose is fake lol
@Kleptide
April 29, 2024 at 2:29 pm
Thank you to VF for allowing Alfred the opportunity to speak uninterrupted at the end, quite refreshing. Alfred, thank you for sharing that story near the end about your father. I’d like to think he looks upon you now with a smile on his face and love in his heart. Thanks for sharing, cheers.
@gavinhenderson7250
April 29, 2024 at 2:43 pm
Love him. And that story about his Dad was very sweet.
@ryukomatoi592
April 29, 2024 at 2:46 pm
I never knew that he was british
@JohnDVasquez
April 29, 2024 at 2:47 pm
17:52 Did he just accidentally leak that he’s gonna be in Avengers: Secret Wars?? ????????
@dskyeproducer
April 29, 2024 at 2:54 pm
Wow. Don’t know if you’ll ever see this, Mr. Molina, but: Thank you for being so open, and I hope you know that you haven’t wasted your time. Thank you for decades of memorable and powerful performances.
@NataliePcxz
April 29, 2024 at 2:56 pm
The last part had me in tears. I’ll look for some of his movies I’ve not seen. Such an amazing actor.
@MichaelSTaylor
April 29, 2024 at 3:25 pm
I loved the epilogue too. I’ve only seen him in Raiders and the Spider-Mans, but I think it would be worth checking out others, maybe even Uncle Vanya as well.
@ShockwaveFPSStudios
April 29, 2024 at 3:02 pm
Alfred use your natural American accent instead of your fake Canadian accent.
@samael22
April 29, 2024 at 3:03 pm
I never ever expected to get emotional watching one of these videos. But the ending really got to me.
@joelhernandez2260
April 29, 2024 at 3:03 pm
it’s heartbreaking to see such a talented and successful actor feel like a disappointment to his father, I guess we all can never live up to their expectations.
@tinadx8194
April 29, 2024 at 3:15 pm
Well. What a moving humain being. Nobody say a bad word to me about Alfred Molina (and Selma Hayek)
@TrumbullComic
April 29, 2024 at 3:30 pm
Well, that got unexpectedly touching at the end.
@liz3507
April 29, 2024 at 3:33 pm
Molina’s father didn’t feel proud of him, but Molina has millions of fans who are ❤
@andriygriffin4782
April 29, 2024 at 3:42 pm
So commendable that last part. Actors on these press interviews usually wish to keep it light and jovial. Alfred allowing himself to be vulnerable and reveal something so personal is not to be overlooked. What a blessing he’s always been to acting and the world at large.
@KittyKatAspen
April 29, 2024 at 3:43 pm
I still would’ve liked to have seen words on his role in Promising Young Woman, no matter how small it was.