The Met Cancels John Galliano Exhibition Amid Controversy

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has canceled its planned exhibition dedicated to British designer John Galliano following a wave of criticism from the Jewish community and other advocacy groups. The decision comes amid renewed scrutiny of the designer’s “racist and antisemitic remarks” made more than a decade ago, AP reports.

The exhibition, John Galliano: Horizons, was set to be the Costume Institute’s major spring exhibition and was scheduled to open alongside the annual Met Gala in May next year. The museum will now replace it with another exhibition.

“After meaningful discussions with John Galliano, we have jointly decided not to proceed with the exhibition,” museum director and CEO Max Hollein said Monday.

Galliano also issued a statement.

“After much reflection and discussion with the Met and everyone involved in the project, I have decided, with deep sadness, that it is best not to proceed with the exhibition at this time,” he said. “I continue to fully acknowledge the responsibility for the pain caused by my words in the past, particularly the pain I caused to the Jewish and Asian communities, and I continue to deeply regret it.”

For years, Galliano was regarded as one of the world’s most talented and flamboyant designers. At the height of his career, he served as creative director of Christian Dior, but lost the position after videos surfaced in 2010 and 2011 showing him making racist and antisemitic remarks.

The designer was subsequently found guilty in France over the antisemitic comments.

Among the remarks Galliano made while intoxicated to patrons at a bar, which were captured on video, was the declaration, “I love Hitler.” In a conversation with Jewish patrons, he also said that their mothers and ancestors should have been “gassed.” The designer also made offensive remarks toward an Asian patron.

In 2014, Galliano returned to high fashion as creative director of the Paris-based house Maison Margiela, where he remained for about a decade.

The Met exhibition would have been only the third solo Costume Institute exhibition dedicated to a living designer.

Anna Wintour Calls Galliano’s Decision “Courageous”

The Costume Institute’s spring exhibition traditionally opens in conjunction with the fashion calendar’s biggest event, the Met Gala. During the evening, celebrity guests visit the exhibition, which serves as a centerpiece of the event.

The gala is overseen by Anna Wintour, Vogue’s global editorial director and one of the most influential figures in fashion. She has publicly supported Galliano for years.

In a statement released by the museum, Wintour called the designer’s decision to withdraw from the exhibition a courageous act.

“John’s decision that an exhibition of his work should not take place at this time is extremely courageous and says a great deal about the person he is,” Wintour said. “I believe it is the right decision, and he and the museum have my full support.”

When the Met announced the exhibition in late July, the museum emphasized that it intended to address Galliano’s past misconduct openly rather than glossing over the more controversial aspects of his biography.

Ahead of the announcement, museum representatives also met with Jewish community leaders in an effort to anticipate and address potential backlash. Those efforts, however, failed to prevent a wave of criticism.

One of the most vocal opponents of the exhibition was New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin. On Monday, she said she had repeatedly met with museum representatives and voiced her opposition to the decision to honor Galliano.

The timing of the Met Gala presented an additional complication. The event traditionally takes place on the first Monday of May, and in 2027 that date coincides with Holocaust Remembrance Day. This prompted speculation that the museum could move the date of the gala.

Another prominent critic of the exhibition was Rabbi David Ingber, senior director of Jewish life at the Bronfman Center at 92NY, one of New York’s prominent Jewish cultural institutions.

Ingber welcomed Galliano’s decision to withdraw from the exhibition, saying the designer had recognized the price the project could have exacted from others.

He said it was important to distinguish between redemption and receiving one of the most prestigious and visible honors in the fashion world.

“Redemption does not mean that a person automatically deserves every honor that we might bestow upon them,” Ingber said.

He stressed that the Met had not simply planned to study Galliano’s creative work.

“This was not simply about studying his work. This was a solo exhibition that was going to open during the gala, and therefore it would have been an institutional act of honoring his work.”

“Galliano has not been erased from history… The question was something else: Should the Met build its most lavish annual celebration around him?” Ingber concluded.