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The Metropolitan Museum of Art canceled a May 2027 exhibition and Met Gala honoring John Galliano after politicians and donors objected to celebrating the designer. The decision halted Anna Wintour’s yearslong effort to rehabilitate Galliano’s legacy through a show spanning four decades of his work.

Details

• Political pressure: New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin told Wintour that honoring Galliano would be a “grave mistake” amid rising antisemitism. Menin, whose mother and grandmother survived the Holocaust, said the council had allocated more than $3 million to the museum for the following year and proceeding would affect future funding decisions. She published her objections on X.
• Donor response: Pace Gallery founder Arne Glimcher said he and his wife, Milly, considered changing their wills unless the exhibition was canceled. The couple have donated more than 50 works to the Met, including pieces by Agnes Martin, Mark Rothko and Jean Dubuffet. After the cancellation, Glimcher said the museum would remain in their wills.
• Galliano’s record: Galliano lost his Dior position in 2011 after a British tabloid published video of him praising Hitler and directing antisemitic abuse at café patrons. He was later convicted in France of a hate crime involving additional racist and antisemitic remarks. Galliano said he had been drunk and struggling with substance abuse; he later entered rehabilitation, became sober and consulted Jewish leaders.
• Exhibition plan: “John Galliano: Horizons” was designed to examine his influence across four decades while directly addressing his antisemitic, racist and anti-Asian conduct. Costume Institute curator Andrew Bolton said the show would consider Galliano’s impact on fashion alongside how his behavior, its consequences and changing cultural values reshaped understanding of his work.
• Competing positions: Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism in North America, supported the project after meeting its organizers. The Anti-Defamation League said it was consulted only after the announcement; it had accepted Galliano’s apology but remained concerned about timing. Rabbi David Wolpe distinguished repentance from honoring Galliano with a glamorous institutional celebration.
• Cancellation statements: Galliano said meaningful atonement could not be achieved through an exhibition, institutional recognition or a single public gesture, but required continuing responsibility demonstrated through conduct. Wintour called his request to postpone the show courageous and supported the decision. At an emergency board meeting, Met leaders Max Hollein and Tony James said the project’s development had been a mistake.

Background

The Met’s board has about 100 members, but the full body had not been informed before the exhibition was announced in late July. The museum said it announced the show early after New York Times reporting. Wintour and Bolton proposed a Galliano-themed exhibition in 2024, but it was rejected internally. The planned gala also coincided with the beginning of Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day.

What’s next

The Met plans to brief its full board on the project following the emergency meeting held after the cancellation.