Met Museum Cancels Planned Exhibition for John Galliano After Backlash

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York announced its decision to cancel a major exhibition celebrating designer John Galliano as a result of sustained criticism over his 2011 antisemitic accusations. The exhibition, titled John Galliano: Horizons and originally set to open in May 2027, was scheduled to feature key pieces from the British style icon’s career and would have served as the theme for the next Met Gala.

Galliano released a statement saying, “After much reflection and discussion with the Met and all those involved, I have decided, with great sadness, that it is best for the exhibition not to take place at this time.” He noted his ongoing commitment to learning from the past and thanked supporters for understanding his continued progression toward community healing.

The designer was dismissed from Dior in 2011 following claims of antisemitic behaviour towards a Jewish curator, including hostile insults and a declaration of affection for Adolf Hitler. Years after a court found him guilty of harassing a Jewish woman, Galliano remained a polarised figure in the fashion world.

Anna Wintour, a Met trustee and co‑chair of the Met Gala, publicly supported Galliano, stating, “John’s decision that the exhibition devoted to his work should not take place at this time is very courageous and a measure of the man he is.” She urged that the move was right and the museum received her full backing.

Other voices agreed with the cancellation. New York City Council speaker Julie Menin said that the timing of honoring a designer with a history of antisemitic conduct was “misguided” and could cause pain to the Jewish community. The Anti‑Defamation League’s chief executive, Jonathan Greenblatt, warned that honouring Galliano amid “crisis levels” of antisemitism would be a mistake.

The move removes Galliano’s work from the Met Gala’s 2027 line‑up, which was scheduled for May 3—the same day as Yom HaShoah, the Holocaust Remembrance Day. The cancellation follows Galliano’s ongoing record of sobriety and a decade‑long stint as creative director of Maison Margiela, ending in 2024.