The papal garb were not even included in the 1983 Met blockbuster, “The Vatican Collections: The Papacy and Art.” The Costume Institute curator in charge Andrew Bolton in collaboration with colleagues from the Met’s medieval department and the Cloisters, had the intent to display these pieces in a way to show how “material Christianity” has helped form “the Catholic imagination.” Exhibition overview Many of these central pieces were on loan from the Sistine Chapel sacristy and have never been seen outside of the Vatican walls. Over 40 pieces from the Vatican were featured on display. By placing fashion within “the broader context of religious artistic production” (like paintings and architecture), Costume Institute curator in charge Andrew Bolton, working alongside colleagues from the Met's medieval department and the Cloisters, aims to show how “material Christianity” has helped form “the Catholic imagination.” Heavenly Bodies was quoted to be a tribute to Andrew Bolton's exhibition, which displays fashion inspired by Catholicism and extraordinary treasures from the Vatican archives ( Bolton et. The theme for the Met Gala in 2018, May 7th, was Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination and their goal was to highlight the influence of religion and liturgical vestments on fashion from designers such as Donatella Versace, and Cristobal Balenciaga. 1,659,647 people viewed the exhibit, making it the most visited exhibition in the museum's history. The exhibition was held from May 10, 2018, to Oct 8, 2018. Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination was the 2018 high fashion art exhibition of the Anna Wintour Costume Center, a wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MMA) which houses the collection of the Costume Institute.