NEW YORK, United States — The Metropolitan Museum of Art has cancelled a planned exhibition devoted to John Galliano after criticism over its decision to honour the British designer at next year’s Met Gala.
Galliano, whose career was severely disrupted after he was filmed making antisemitic remarks in Paris in 2011, said Monday, August 31, 2026, that he had decided the exhibition should not proceed at this time.
The Costume Institute exhibition, titled “John Galliano: Horizons,” had been announced only weeks earlier.
It was intended to examine the relationship between Galliano’s creative work and questions of ethical responsibility.
Andrew Bolton, the curator of the Costume Institute, said he supported the decision after discussions about the controversy surrounding the exhibition.
“I recognize the pain and concern this exhibition has caused,” Bolton said in a statement issued by the museum. “After extensive discussion, I support the decision not to proceed.”
Galliano withdraws from exhibition
In a statement released Monday, Galliano said he had reconsidered the planned exhibition and accepted responsibility for the harm caused by his past 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 wrote.
He added: “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 he did not want the controversy surrounding him to create difficulties for the museum or divert attention from the Costume Institute’s work.
View this post on Instagram
The designer was dismissed by Dior in 2011 after videos emerged showing him making antisemitic comments at a Paris café. He was later convicted in France of “public insults” relating to origin, religion, race or ethnicity.
The controversy surrounding his planned retrospective intensified because next year’s Met Gala is scheduled to coincide with Yom HaShoah, the Jewish day of Holocaust remembrance.
Wintour backs decision
Anna Wintour, Vogue’s global editorial director and a central figure in organising the Met Gala since 1995, supported Galliano’s decision to withdraw the exhibition.
“I believe this is the right decision,” Wintour said.
She described Galliano’s decision to abandon the planned showcase as “very courageous and a measure of the man he is.”
The exhibition had been expected to make Galliano only the third living fashion designer to receive a solo retrospective from the Costume Institute.
Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons was the subject of the institute’s 2017 exhibition, while Yves Saint Laurent received the distinction in 1983.
Galliano’s designs have remained influential within the fashion industry, where his elaborate construction, theatrical presentation and detailed craftsmanship have earned a devoted following.
Dana Thomas, whose 2015 book “Gods and Kings” examined Galliano and Alexander McQueen, distinguished between the designer’s artistic accomplishments and his conduct.
“Does he deserve it as a person? Questionable,” Thomas said. “Does he deserve it as a designer? Absolutely.”
Debate over the Met’s decision
The museum’s decision to honour Galliano had prompted criticism from outside the fashion world as well as within it.
The controversy had become a growing concern for museum trustees and board members before Monday’s announcement.
The original exhibition proposal sought to examine Galliano’s creative achievements alongside the question of personal responsibility.
The museum had described the exhibition as an opportunity to consider “how artistic achievement should be understood alongside ethical accountability.”
The controversy also revived broader questions about the subjects chosen by the Costume Institute.
When the museum selected Karl Lagerfeld for its 2023 exhibition, critics pointed to his past remarks concerning the #MeToo movement, refugees and plus-sized people.
The Met Gala also faced criticism earlier this year after Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez Bezos were announced as the event’s principal benefactors.
The backlash included calls for boycotts and alternative events in New York that focused on working conditions at Amazon warehouses and wealth inequality.
The cancellation of the Galliano exhibition leaves the museum without the planned retrospective of one of fashion’s most celebrated but contentious designers.
