The Metropolitan Museum of Art and British fashion designer John Galliano have cancelled a major exhibition dedicated to his work, one month after the retrospective was announced and sparked backlash over his past antisemitic and racist remarks.
The exhibition, titled John Galliano: Horizons, was scheduled to open at The Met Fifth Avenue in New York on May 9, 2027, and run until January 9, 2028. It was scheduled to be the Costume Institute’s spring 2027 exhibition, with the Met Gala held in conjunction.
On August 31, the museum confirmed that the exhibition would no longer go ahead.
“Following thoughtful discussions with John Galliano, we have together decided not to proceed with the exhibition,” Max Hollein, director and CEO of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, said in a statement.
The museum said details of a new spring 2027 Costume Institute exhibition and the 2027 Met Gala would be announced at a later date.
What did John Galliano say?
Galliano also addressed the decision in a statement shared on Instagram, saying that after “much reflection and discussion with all those involved”, he had decided “with great sadness” that it was best for the exhibition not to take place at this time.
The 65-year-old designer acknowledged the controversy surrounding his past conduct and said he remained “fully accountable for the pain caused by my words in the past”, particularly the hurt caused to Jewish and Asian communities.
Galliano said meaningful atonement was not achieved through an exhibition, institutional recognition or a single public gesture, but was instead an ongoing responsibility demonstrated through listening, learning and conduct over time.
He also said he did not want the debate surrounding him to put the Met in a difficult position or distract from the Costume Institute’s work, adding that he recognised an exhibition honouring him “would be painful for some”. The same statement was published by the Met.
Galliano also spoke about his 15 years of sobriety and recovery from alcoholism and addiction, and thanked Hollein, Costume Institute curator Andrew Bolton and Anna Wintour for their support.
Wintour backed the decision, saying Galliano’s decision that the exhibition should not take place was “very courageous” and that both he and the museum had her full support.
Bolton, meanwhile, acknowledged the reaction to the exhibition, saying he recognised “the pain and concern this exhibition has caused” and supported the decision not to proceed.
Backlash over Galliano’s past
The cancellation comes exactly one month after the Met announced John Galliano: Horizons on July 31.
The museum had described it as the first major museum exhibition to examine the full breadth of Galliano’s creative output across more than four decades.
It was expected to include garments, accessories, sketches, toiles, research books and archival materials, exploring his work from his early career through his time at Givenchy, Christian Dior and Maison Margiela.
However, the announcement prompted criticism over the decision to honour Galliano with one of the Costume Institute’s biggest exhibitions.
In 2011, Galliano was convicted in France over antisemitic and racist remarks after incidents in a Paris bar. The scandal led to his dismissal from Christian Dior, where he had served as creative director.
He later apologised and returned to the fashion industry, eventually taking over as creative director of Maison Margiela in 2014. He left the fashion house in 2024.
Criticism of the Met exhibition came from Jewish community leaders and public figures, including New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, and Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt.
The timing also became part of the controversy. The 2027 Met Gala was scheduled for May 3, which coincides with Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day.
When it first announced the exhibition, the Met had signalled that Galliano’s controversial history would form part of the show rather than be ignored. The museum said the exhibition would invite visitors to consider how “aesthetic achievement, ethical accountability, and institutional recognition intersect”.
The retrospective would also have placed Galliano among a small group of living designers to receive a solo Costume Institute exhibition at the Met.
The museum has not yet revealed what will replace John Galliano: Horizons as its spring 2027 Costume Institute exhibition.
Source: Khaleej Times
