Metropolitan Museum cancels John Galliano exhibition after public backlash over 2011 antisemitic conviction

The Metropolitan Museum of Art cancelled a planned exhibition on British fashion designer John Galliano that was scheduled to open in May 2027, after sustained backlash over his 2011 antisemitic conviction. Galliano announced the cancellation himself on Monday, stating that "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." The exhibition, titled "John Galliano: Horizons," would have coincided with the May 3 Met Gala, . Galliano served as creative director of Dior in 2011 when he was convicted in France of abusing a Jewish curator at a Paris restaurant. A court heard that Galliano hurled racist insults at the curator's friend, who is of South Asian origin, and in a separate incident declared a love for Adolf Hitler. Video surfaced showing Galliano telling patrons at a cafe that he loved Adolf Hitler and that their family would have been "gassed." The New Yorker reported in 2011 that patrons of a Parisian bar recalled at least three unprovoked rants from Galliano that targeted Jewish and Asian communities. At the time of his conviction, Galliano's lawyer blamed his behaviour on "work-related stress and multiple addictions." Galliano testified in court that he had no recollection of the antisemitic verbal abuse. In his statement on Monday announcing the cancellation, Galliano stated: "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 for it." He cited his "15 years of sobriety and recovery from alcoholism and addiction" and said: "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." Galliano was fired from Dior just before Paris Fashion Week in 2011 and was ordered to pay a fine by the court. Two years after his conviction, he was brought in as a designer "in residence" at Oscar de la Renta, and was later hired as creative director for Maison Margiela, serving in that role for a decade until 2024, when he moved to a collaboration with Spanish retail store Zara. New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin had called on the Met to reconsider the exhibition after it was announced the previous week. In a letter dated Wednesday, Menin said that Galliano has not reached the higher standard that comes with such a "tremendous accolade." Anna Wintour, Vogue global editorial director, a trustee of the Met and co-chair of the Met Gala, said of Galliano's decision: "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. I believe this is the right decision, and both he and the Museum have my full support." Andrew Bolton, curator at The Met's Costume Institute, said he was supportive of the decision to cancel the exhibition and understood the pain it has caused. Jonathan Greenblatt, chief executive of the Anti-Defamation League, said that with antisemitism at "crisis levels," honouring Galliano would be "misguided" and stated: "Even Galliano ultimately recognised what the Met should have done from the start. This was the wrong move at the wrong moment. Timing matters." Menin, in a post on X, wrote: "As the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, and as the first Jewish speaker of the New York City Council, this decision was personal to me, and the Jewish community and I felt a strong obligation to speak out."