John Galliano Met exhibition canceled after backlash
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The Metropolitan Museum of Art's upcoming exhibition on John Galliano has been cancelled, the designer announced on Monday. "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," he wrote on a statement shared on his Instagram page.
Since it was announced in July, the retrospective has been criticized due to Galliano's extensive list of controversies, which includes antisemitic, racist, and anti-Asian remarks. The designer said he remains "fully accountable for the pain caused by my words in the past, particularly the hurt I caused to the Jewish and Asian communities."
"I remain deeply sorry. 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," Galliano wrote.
Along with the retrospective, Galliano's work would also serve as the theme to the next Met Gala, as announced by Vogue's global editorial director Anna Wintour. Upon the announcement of the exhibition, Wintour said “there is no one more deserving of an exhibition of this scale than John Galliano."
According to CNN, Wintour, who has spearheaded the organization of the Met Gala since 1995, said on Monday that Galliano’s decision to pull out of the showcase was “very courageous and a measure of the man he is.” Andrew Bolton, the curator of the Met’s Costume Institute, issued a statement saying he recognized “the pain and concern this exhibition has caused.”
Galliano built his reputation for theatrical, technically dazzling runway shows, first at his own label and then as chief designer at Givenchy before taking the top role at Christian Dior, where he's widely credited with transforming the house into a global luxury powerhouse.
His career was derailed in 2011 after video footage and witness accounts surfaced of him making antisemitic and racist remarks at a Paris bar, including declaring “I love Hitler” and telling patrons that “people like you would be dead” and their ancestors “gassed.” He was fired by Christian Dior, lost his own label, and was convicted by a French court of public insults based on race, religion and ethnicity, receiving suspended fines and damages. The 2011 scandal, together with a separate 2010 incident at the same bar, led to years of exile from major fashion houses.
After years away from the industry, he returned as creative director of Maison Margiela in 2014. He announced his departure from the role in late 2024.
Read John Galliano's full statement below:
"I am profoundly grateful to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and particularly to Max Hollein, Andrew Bolton and Anna Wintour, for the extraordinary honour of proposing an exhibition devoted to my work.
To have my creative journey considered by an institution that I have admired throughout my life moved me more deeply than I can express. I will remain forever grateful for the confidence, care and scholarship that Max, Andrew, Anna and the entire Met team brought to this project.
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
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. 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.
I would also like to express my deepest gratitude to all those who have guided, supported and accompanied me throughout these fifteen years of sobriety and recovery from alcoholism and addiction. Your wisdom, patience and humanity have helped me more than I can ever adequately express. I remain profoundly indebted to you for giving me, as you promised, a life better than I could ever have dreamt of.
My gratitude to the Met, Max, Andrew and Anna remains profound and enduring. Their generosity, humanity and belief in the importance of fashion as art, culture and history - as well as their understanding of human fragility and the possibility of growth - will remain with me always.
John Galliano"