The 2020 Met Gala Has Been Canceled
Update: Vogue reports that there will be no Met Gala this year. In a statement, the Metropolitan Museum of Art confirmed that the gala had been canceled "due to the global health crisis."
Museum president Daniel H. Weiss said: "The Met has endured much in its 150 years and today continues as a beacon of hope for the future. This museum is also a profound reminder of the strength of the human spirit and the power of art to offer comfort, inspiration, and community. As we endure these challenging and uncertain times, we are encouraged by looking forward to the day when we can once again welcome all to enjoy the Met's collection and exhibitions."
The Met Gala has officially been postponed.
In a piece published Monday, Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour wrote, "Due to the unavoidable and responsible decision by the Metropolitan Museum to close its doors, About Time, and the opening night gala, will be postponed to a later date."
On March 13, New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art closed its doors to the public over concerns with the coronavirus and COVID-19. The Cut's Matthew Schneier confirmed the news in a tweet, telling his followers that this year's Met Gala was "under review." Now, it's official: The event won't be happening on the first Monday in May, when it scheduled every year, and will instead take place on an as-yet unannounced date.
Noam Galai
It started with the closures of the Met Fifth Avenue, the Met Breuer, and the Met Cloisters. “The Museum will undertake a thorough cleaning and plans to announce next steps early next week,” the museum announced last week. The New York Times reported that two staffers had shown symptoms of the virus. While the museum shuttered just to be safe, a Costume Institute spokeswoman said at the time that the annual gala was still on the calendar.
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"Right now all museum events are cancelled through April 3. Given the uncertain public health environment, we will review on a rolling basis which museum events beyond April 3 will be cancelled or postponed," Nancy Chilton, the chief external relations officer of the Costume Institute, said after the initial museum closure. "We are hoping for the best, but public health and safety are our first priorities."
The 2020 Met Gala was set to take place on May 4 with the theme “About Time: Fashion and Duration." Andrew Bolton, Wendy Yu Curator in Charge of the Costume Institute explained that the theme was a “reimagining of fashion history that’s fragmented, discontinuous, and heterogeneous.” This year's chairs included designer Nicolas Ghesquière, Meryl Streep, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Anna Wintour.
