Met Gala Announces 2023 “Looting and Plunder” Theme

In a last-minute announcement conscionable weeks earlier this year’s Met Gala that is sending its star-studded impermanent database into a tizzy, the Costume Institute astatine the Metropolitan Museum of Art has issued a caller taxable for the yearly fundraising benefit. Scrapping their program to wage tribute to the precocious decorator Karl Lagerfeld, organizers revealed that the 2023 taxable volition beryllium “Looting and Plunder,” a topical motion to the caller spate of headlines related to the museum’s holding of illicitly trafficked antiquities. The quality was shared successful a property merchandise sent to media astatine precisely 4:59pm connected Friday.

In enactment with a stated committedness to marque the acquisition arsenic authentic arsenic possible, prime A-list guests volition beryllium permitted to don looted artifacts from the museum’s collection, galore of which person yet to beryllium seized by the Manhattan District Attorney oregon are easy retrievable, arsenic they are inactive stuck successful customs. While immoderate celebrities are scrambling to accommodate their outfits to the eleventh-hour taxable change, Kim Kardashian has already called dibs connected immoderate items from the museum’s African wing.

Select A-list guests volition beryllium permitted to don looted artifacts from the museum’s collection.

Anna Wintour, Vogue editor-in-chief and namesake of The Met’s Costume Center, said successful an interrogation that she could not defy the “unique accidental to prosecute with immoderate of the astir fabulous objects successful the museum’s trove of pillaged art.” (Wintour has co-chaired the gala since 1995, astir the aforesaid clip that looting intensified successful immoderate parts of Southeast Asia, a information she referred to arsenic “a amusive coincidence.”)

When reached for remark by Hyperallergic, a Met Museum spokesperson responded with a facepalm emoji.

“This would beryllium a bully clip to punctual radical that I HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE MET GALA,” reads a connection attributed to Met Director Max Hollein. “Frankly, I’ve ever felt a small cringe astir the full thing, but they’ve truly outdone themselves this year.”

Once known arsenic the Costume Institute Benefit — a sanction the depository is begging the Institute to reinstate, according to respective sources — the Met Gala is the main root of backing for the department’s programming and acquisitions. The enactment raked successful a grounds $17.4 million successful 2022, though this year’s fig could beryllium adjacent higher acknowledgment to a concurrent fundraising auction of a trove of invaluable Pre-Hispanic treasures that volition instrumentality spot astatine Christie’s.

While galore invitees person voiced their enthusiasm astir the accidental to deterioration Native American headdresses without being accused of taste appropriation, immoderate guests are opting to skip the “Looting and Plunder” taxable altogether successful lieu of a governmental statement. US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, for instance, has already announced connected Twitter her intentions to athletics a achromatic gown with the words “Museums Are Not Neutral” scrawled successful red.

Valentina Di Liscia is the News Editor astatine Hyperallergic. Originally from Argentina, she studied astatine the University of Chicago and is presently moving connected her MA astatine Hunter College, wherever she received the... More by Valentina Di Liscia