What’s Happening: While the world gawked at the annual fashion spectacle’s garish red carpet looks, art-world insiders called out suspicious comparisons between its scenography and the work of artist-activist Willie Cole.

The Download: Earlier this week, a star-studded crowd descended on the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the Met Gala. Adorned in extravagant looks in honor of the late couturier Karl Lagerfeld, stars ascended the museum’s famed entryway as hordes of paparazzi captured the red-carpet spectacle. While most gawked at Jared Leto’s head-to-toe Choupette costume or Jeremy Pope’s lengthy Balmain cape emblazoned with Lagerfeld’s face, art insiders fixated on something else entirely: the scenography, which included a transparent barricade wall and a group of chandeliers, each made using recycled plastic bottles.

Some claimed suspicious similarities between the chandeliers and the work of Willie Cole, a decorated artist who uses found objects as raw materials in ambitious sculptures that probe environmental crises. (Cole himself called out the fixtures on Instagram.) The Met acquired one of his works—an assemblage of women’s shoes forming the shape of a man’s head, nodding to 19th-and 20th-century masks from Cameroon—in its permanent collection and even sells his prints in the gift shop.

The pieces in question resemble two large-scale chandeliers made of 3,000 plastic water bottles that Cole made at Express Newark, where he’s a current artist-in-residence. They were conceived in response to the 2019 water crisis faced by the New Jersey city when lead contamination in aging pipes prompted the government to distribute thousands of single-use plastic bottles.

According to event planner Raul Avila, this year’s concept is credited to Japanese architect Tadao Ando, who also spearheaded the design for the Costume Institute’s new exhibition “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty.” (Lagerfeld was a fan of his work, photographing his famous Vitra House and enlisting him to design his own house that was never built.) The recycled plastic bottles reappeared in the gala’s centerpiece, a giant tubular structure that, as Avila says, “reflects the surrounding lights to make the entire design feel immersive.”

In Their Own Words: The Metropolitan Museum of Art didn’t respond to a request for comment by ARTnews, but curator Ellen Hawley shared her take on Instagram. “Interestingly, Willie wasn’t asked to be invited to collaborate on the installation, nor was he asked permission to use the likeness of his art. The fashion and art worlds face copycat challenges all the time. This seems like a blatant copy—at the Met of one of their exhibiting artists.”

Surface Says: While they indeed share similarities, Mark Twain’s “no original ideas” dictum comes to mind, so we’ll wait this one out until The Met and Ando give their side. Regardless, this doesn’t seem nearly as scandalous as “blood antiquities.”

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On May 20, the Art Students League of New York will host its annual Dream Ball gala. A tradition dating back to the 1920s, proceeds from the evening support the league’s arts education scholarships. This year, the league’s students and faculty will transform the Vanderbilt gallery at the organization’s landmarked studio building, inspired by the evening’s theme of “A Masquerade of Your Wildest Dreams.” Surface readers are invited to don their best costume ball attire for a night of dancing, drinks, and the chance to win the gala’s coveted Dream Ball Costume Prize at this 21+ event.

During his life, the Danish architect Vilhelm Lauritzen cultivated a reputation for being ahead of the curve. An originator of the country’s modernist movement, Lauritzen often embraced the opportunity to design custom furnishings to fill each space. His eponymous architecture firm worked closely with Carl Hansen & Søn to preserve his legacy by making the late luminary’s furnishings available to contemporary shoppers. The partnership, which began this past year with the launch of the Vega chair and Foyer series to commemorate the firm’s centennial, continues this spring with the release of Lauritzen’s Monarch Chair, so-named for his fascination with butterflies.

Created as part of an erstwhile architectural proposal, the first run of Monarch chairs in 1944 consisted of 10 samples. Since then, they’ve circulated in the hands of top collectors and eluded the masses—something both Carl Hansen & Søn CEO Knud Erik Hansen and Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects partner Anne Møller Sørensen sought to change.

Last week, Ralph Lauren hosted a cocktail party at a private waterfront estate in celebration of its newly opened concept store in the Miami Design District. Guests fêted the classic brand with Riviera-chic style, taking in sweeping views of Biscayne Bay and a performance by Leslie Grace. The evening featured nods to Ralph Lauren’s expression of coastal living—wicker lounge chairs with crisp navy and white accents, gold decorative accents, and classic entertaining moments from Ralph Lauren Home.

When was it? April 25

Where was it? Miami.

Who was there? Melissa Barrera, Grace Van Patten, Lily Aldridge, Claire Holt, and more.

When: Until Nov. 5

Where: Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein, Germany

What: By highlighting case studies that combine traditional and modern architectural and urban design strategies, the show explores how cities in the Arabic-speaking world are adapting to extreme heat caused by climate change and how their solutions can inspire climate resilience elsewhere. Curators Ahmed and Rashid bin Shabib envisioned it as a dictionary of Arab architecture that reveals the intricate links between aesthetics and climate adaptation through architectural models and a forum for experts to share their knowledge.

New & Notable is a cultural catchall that highlights interesting new products and projects from our brilliantly creative members of The List. With new releases, events, and goings-on, the below moments indicate the power they have to move the needle in realms like architecture, design, fashion, and art.

The mall may be dying in cities across America, but in Pittsburgh it’s alive and well: early in 2023, Gucci caused a ruckus by opening its newest boutique in the city’s Ross Park Mall. The brand joined Louis Vuitton and Burberry—two other grande dames of luxury fashion—as well as fine jewelry powerhouse Tiffany & Co. But just across the Allegheny River, in the city’s enterprising East Liberty neighborhood, Tons is ushering in a distinctly indie approach by bringing the likes of Coperni, Marni, Marine Serre, and more to the city’s denizens.

Even to those familiar with Pittsburgh’s tech and design-driven turnaround, news of ritzy fashion labels setting up shop in the former Rust Belt raises eyebrows. In the wake of the region’s post-industrial decline, Microsoft and Google have flocked to the city while the holdings of former steel magnates have been enshrined in museums and landmarks.

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Cadence is on a mission to bring you calm and control, everywhere. The brand’s signature product, the Capsules, magnetically connect to create a personalized, leakproof system designed to maintain your routines—home and away. Made from a blend of recycled ocean-bound plastic and excess manufacturing material, the TSA-compliant Capsules are engineered to be easily refilled for a lifetime of use.

Surface Says: With thoughtful, sustainably driven design, Cadence delivers on the elusive promise to simplify a life lived on the go.

For one unlucky renter, Tinder for roommates was as awful as it sounds.

This year’s Met Gala was meh, but made for some entertaining memes.

When not fronting U2, Bono has been sketching covers of The Atlantic.

An astonishing trove of 230 classic cars may fetch millions at auction.