The Easel

14th July 2026

Controversial Costumes at the Met’s Newest Galleries

Suzanne Stephens | Architectural Record | 13th May 2026

New York’s Met reasons that because the human body is everywhere in art, fashion deserves a place in the museum. Interspersing artworks among the 200 garments on show brings to life the curator’s view that “the dressed body becomes a prism through which we view [art]”. Some go along with the argument while others state the obvious – “fashion gets people through the doors”. And one writer bells the cat: “it isn’t about the body but about the clothes. It’s an infomercial for the fashion industry.” Images are here.

Who gets to be an American artist?

Robert Rubsam | Apollo | 6th July 2026

Many American cultural traditions at the turn of the 20th century were embodied in ‘folk art’. Mostly created by “uncredentialled’ artists, it was soon swept aside by Europe-based modernism, relegated to a lesser class of vernacular or outsider art. Although some work shows the influence of immigrant groups, it collectively displays “distinctly American qualities” and tells half-forgotten stories, Says a curator “folk art is an equally essential facet of the American artistic tradition”.

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