The Met extends its China fashion exhibit

By

Obi Anyanwu

Published
Jul 2, 2015

The Metropolitan Museum of Art announced Tuesday that it will extend its "China: Through the Looking Glass" exhibit to Labor Day on September 7.

 
The exhibit, which is a examination of China’s influence on western fashion, has drawn over 350,000 visitors in its first eight weeks, and is currently on pace to surpass a record held by the "Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty" exhibit from 2011. Savage Beauty drew 661,000 visitors in three months and was extended an additional week due to demand. It is the most viewed exhibition since the Costume Institute became part of the museum in 1946, and is currently the eighth most popular in the Met’s history.
 
"This exhibition is one of the most ambitious ever mounted by the Met, and I want as many people as possible to be able see it," said Thomas P. Campbell, Director and CEO of the Met. "It is a show that represents an extraordinary collaboration across the Museum, resulting in a fantastic exploration of China's impact on creativity over centuries."

Chinese tourists are heading to the Met in droves to see the exhibit, making up the largest segment of the museum’s international audience. The exhibition spans 30,000-square-feet and 16 galleries, which also makes it the largest in the history of the Costume Institute.