A Reel posted on Instagram a few days ago has reignited the debate over artistic integrity, a timeless issue that keeps resurfacing in the creative world. At the center of the controversy is a dress on display in the “Costume Art” exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and signed by London-based artist Anouska Samms, author of the video that gave rise to the controversy.
The work in question, titled Corpus Nervana 0.0, 2023-24, is attributed by the MET exclusively to YH Studios and New York-based Israeli designer Yoav Hadari. However, the dress, a transparent white dress crisscrossed with synthetic strands resembling dark locks of hair, would be, according to Samms, a reproduction of Hair Dress, a project she and Hadari created in 2023. The artist’s name appears neither in the exhibition credits, nor in the official catalog, nor on the museum’s website. Initially, the MET was to consider acquiring the original Hair Dress for its permanent collection, a hypothesis that faded last year. Subsequently, Hadari would sell Corpus Nervana 0.0 to the museum without involving Samms in the process. This very aspect is one of the central points of contention: in addition to the lack of attribution, Samms criticizes the fact that his former collaborator benefited financially from the sale of the work.
Contacted for comment, Hadari did not respond, leaving the other side of the story without public rebuttal for now. After being awarded the Alexander McQueen Sarabande Foundation fellowship during his time at Central Saint Martins, the designer had launched his own brand in 2022, eventually evolving it into the current YH Studios. Throughout his career, he has also received support from leading figures such as Schiaparelli’s Daniel Roseberry and Thom Browne. Last month the brand debuted a bridal collection in New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, when asked about the issue, also preferred not to comment. Samms’ lawyer, Jon Sharples, clarified in an email to WWD that “the issue is not about a financial claim,” emphasizing that the artist’s main goal is “to preserve the integrity of the original work by replacing the remake with a version that she can recognize as her own and by getting proper credit as coauthor of the design.”
Samms said she accidentally discovered the presence of the dress in the exhibition after being tagged in a post by the Sarabande Foundation, which pointed out residents and alumni involved in “Costume Art.” Founded in 2006 by the late Lee Alexander McQueen, the Sarabande Foundation supports young emerging artists and designers. In 2023, during their very time at the foundation, Samms and Hadari had collaborated on a dress very similar to Corpus Nervana 0.0. The original Hair Dress had been presented for the first time in the group exhibition Quilaterally, organized by the foundation in the fall of that year. Representatives of Sarabande, however, also chose not to comment publicly on the affair.
In the reel posted on Instagram, Samms states, “An important detail in this story is that many of my works contain human hair. Ironically, the concept of imitation is central to my art practice.” Sharples added that the artist “is considering his options while still hoping for an amicable resolution to the matter.” According to legal reports, the last contact between Samms and Hadari was in December, when the designer reportedly communicated his decision to withdraw the original Hair Dress from consideration for possible acquisition by MET.
This is certainly not the first case where issues such as artistic authorship, creative credit, and copyright end up at the center of controversy, especially in emerging contexts where the boundaries of collaboration can become more fragile. However, when internationally prestigious institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art are involved, one would expect greater care in verifying attribution and more rigorous transparency in the management of acquisitions. It now remains to be seen how the matter will evolve and whether the parties will be able to find common ground.
[đź“· Instagram: yh_studios_; anouskasamms.com]
