The Metropolitan Museum of Art has decided to cancel its upcoming exhibition dedicated to British designer John Galliano following widespread criticism from the Jewish community and beyond due to Galliano’s history of making antisemitic and racist remarks.
The museum announced on Monday that the exhibit, initially planned as the featured show for the May 2027 spring Costume Institute event launching the annual Met Gala, will be replaced by a different exhibition to be revealed later.
Max Hollein, the director and CEO of the museum, stated, “After thoughtful discussions with John Galliano, we have mutually agreed to forego the exhibition.” Galliano also expressed his regret, saying, “After reflecting and conversing with The Met and all involved parties, I have sadly decided that it is best to cancel the exhibition at this time. I take full responsibility for the pain caused by my past words, especially the harm inflicted on the Jewish and Asian communities, and I sincerely apologize for it.”
Galliano, renowned for his extravagant designs, previously served as the creative director of Christian Dior but was dismissed from the position following the surfacing of racist and antisemitic comments made in 2010 and 2011. He subsequently faced legal consequences in a French antisemitism trial.
After being let go by Dior, Galliano worked on public and private initiatives to rehabilitate his image and made a comeback in 2014 when he joined Paris fashion house Maison Margiela, where he stayed for ten years.
Originally slated to be the third living designer to be featured in a solo exhibition at the Met’s Costume Institute, Galliano’s show would have launched the spring season alongside the annual Met Gala, a prominent event in the fashion world overseen by Anna Wintour, Vogue’s global editorial director and a significant figure in the industry who has been a longtime supporter of Galliano.
Despite consulting with Jewish community leaders before announcing the exhibition, the museum faced escalating backlash, prompting the cancellation of the show. Notable among the critics was New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin, who commended the decision to cancel the exhibition, stating, “I am pleased that The Met has agreed to not showcase John Galliano. I had consistently expressed my strong opposition to this decision from the beginning, especially given the current climate of rising antisemitism. This cancellation is the right move as the distress and suffering it was causing were simply unacceptable.”