The Met to dedicate its next exhibition to Karl Lagerfeld

The Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art has confirmed that its spring 2023 exhibition will be dedicated to the late Karl Lagerfeld.

The exhibition, entitled ‘Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty’ was announced at a press conference during Paris Fashion Week, and will showcase the late designer’s career by exploring his “creative process, the evolution of his designs, and his everlasting impact on fashion”.

With a six-decade career, helming the creative direction of iconic fashion houses including Chanel, Fendi and Balmain, as well as his own eponymous fashion label, the exhibition will explore the “artistic methodology and stylistic vocabulary” of his designs through recurring themes seen from the 1950s to his final collection in 2019, explained the museum.

‘Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty’ will open to the public on May 5 and run until July 16, 2023, and will also be celebrated at the annual The Met Costume Institute Benefit, dubbed The Met Gala, on May 1, 2023.

Metropolitan Museum of Art to celebrate Karl Lagerfeld’s six-decade career in 2023

The exhibition will feature approximately 150 pieces that will trace the evolution of his designs, exploring the progression from two-dimensional sketches to three-dimensional garments. The museum adds that there will be a “particularly focus” on his passion for drawing and the use of form as his primary vehicle for creative expression, with “through lines” presented as dualities and metaphors throughout. Each piece on display will be paired with the supporting sketches.

Commenting on the news, Pier Paolo Righi, chief executive at Karl Lagerfeld, said in a statement: “Karl was a lover of multidisciplinary arts, and it’s the highest recognition for his work to be presented in such a monumental exhibition at The Met’s Costume Institute.

“As custodians of Karl’s legacy, we aim to bring his passion, intuition, and inexhaustible creativity to life in everything we do. We cannot imagine a more poignant or meaningful way to celebrate his colossal achievements — both the enduring impact he’s had on fashion and how it’s shaping the future.”

The Metropolitan Museum of Art said that the exhibition and benefit is being supported by Chanel, Fendi, Karl Lagerfeld and Conde Nast.