John Galliano Met Retrospective Cancelled

A major exhibition featuring the work of John Galliano at the Metropolitan Museum’s Costume Institute will not go forward, the star couturier said Monday as he withdrew from the retrospective, planned in his honour, amid mounting backlash over antisemitic remarks.

“After much reflection and discussion with all those involved, I have decided, with great sadness, that it is best for the exhibition not to take place at this time,” Galliano said in a statement.

“John Galliano: Horizons” had been slated for May 2027, and would have made Galliano one of only three living designers to get a major solo exhibition at the Costume Institute.

A Galliano retrospective has long been an objective of Vogue’s global editorial director Anna Wintour, who co-chairs the annual Met Gala benefit that funds much of the Costume Institute’s operations, as well as Met CEO Max Hollein and curator Andrew Bolton.

Fifteen years after an antisemitic rant captured on video saw Galliano sacked from his post as creative director of Christian Dior, Met leadership had believed the public would be willing to honour his virtuosic career despite his controversial behaviour. Galliano’s final couture show for Maison Margiela in 2024 was met with a blockbuster reception. Reaction to the March announcement of a two-year partnership with Zara was more mixed.

At the same time, “High & Low — John Galliano,” Kevin Macdonald’s documentary about the designer released three years ago, depicted a pattern of antisemitism, making it more difficult to dismiss the 2011 incident as a one-off, drug-addled outburst.

Many Jewish community leaders opposed the Met’s decision to mount the exhibition, expressing concern about Galliano’s behaviour as well as a climate of rising antisemitism worldwide. Members of the Asian community also raised concerns regarding Galliano’s use of racial slurs and collections seen by some as caricaturing Asian culture.

Backlash in the press and from museum donors has continued to grow since the exhibition was announced in late July. Some major donors threatened to rescind scheduled gifts to the Metropolitan Museum, The New York Times reported.

“I believe deeply in the responsibility of museums to examine difficult histories with rigour, candour and care. I also recognise the pain and concern this exhibition has caused. After extensive discussion, I support the decision not to proceed,” Bolton said.

“I remain fully accountable for the pain caused by my words in the past, particularly the hurt I caused to the Jewish and Asian communities, and I remain deeply sorry,” Galliano said in his statement. “I understand that meaningful atonement is not achieved through an exhibition, institutional recognition or a single public gesture. It is a continuing responsibility, demonstrated through listening, learning and one’s conduct over time.”

“I do not want the debate surrounding me to place the Met in a difficult position or to distract from the remarkable work of the Costume Institute. I also recognise and respect that an exhibition honouring my work would be painful for some,” the statement continued.