The Metropolitan Museum of Art has canceled a planned exhibition honoring fashion designer John Galliano following sustained objections over his history of antisemitic and racist statements and the decision to launch the show in connection with the 2027 Met Gala.
The exhibition, “John Galliano: Horizons,” had been scheduled to open in May 2027. Galliano would have become only the third living designer to receive a solo retrospective at the Met. The museum and Galliano announced jointly on August 31 that the exhibition would not proceed. The Met said it will announce a replacement Costume Institute exhibition and new plans for the 2027 gala at a later date.
Galliano, the former creative director of Christian Dior, was dismissed by the fashion house in 2011 after recordings emerged of him making antisemitic and racist remarks in a Paris establishment. He was subsequently convicted in France. Although Galliano apologized, pursued treatment and later returned to the fashion industry, the Met’s decision to devote a major retrospective to his work revived questions about whether professional rehabilitation should culminate in one of the art world’s most prominent honors.
Opposition intensified because the Met Gala was expected to occur on Yom HaShoah, when we remember the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust. Critics argued that an event celebrating Galliano on that date would demonstrate an extraordinary failure of judgment, regardless of whether the exhibition also addressed his misconduct.
New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, emerged as one of the most forceful opponents. Menin called the original decision a grave mistake and emphasized that the City Council provides the museum with more than $3 million for educational programming, giving the public a legitimate stake in its decisions.
Opposition also spread among Jewish and Asian communal leaders, and some donors reportedly threatened to withdraw financial support. After the cancellation, Menin said the Met had made the correct decision.
Galliano said he remained fully accountable for the pain his words caused, particularly to Jewish and Asian communities. He described accountability as an ongoing responsibility and said he did not want the controversy to place the museum in a difficult position or overshadow the Costume Institute’s work.
By Shabsie Saphirstein