British fashion designer has withdrawn from the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s planned exhibition dedicated to his career, bringing an abrupt end to a showcase that had been announced only a month earlier and was set to accompany the .
John Galliano pulls out of Met exhibition amid backlash
The decision follows criticism of the museum’s choice to honour Galliano, whose career was severely disrupted by antisemitic, racist and anti-Asian remarks that led to his dismissal from and his eponymous label. He was also convicted by a Paris court of public insults based on race, religion, ethnicity or origin.
Galliano said he had reached the decision after discussions with and others involved in the project. In a statement, he expressed gratitude to the museum’s director and chief executive Max Hollein, Costume Institute curator Andrew Bolton and , while acknowledging the continuing impact of his past behaviour.
His statement read:
“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 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”
The exhibition, John Galliano: Horizons, was announced by The Met on 31 July. It was intended to examine the full breadth of Galliano’s four-decade career, from his Central Saint Martins graduation collection through his work at and Dior and his later reinvention at Maison Margiela. The planned display was to include garments, accessories, sketches, research books, toiles and archival material.
The museum had also intended to confront the controversy directly rather than omit it. Its original plan said the exhibition would examine Galliano’s derogatory conduct and the rupture caused by his , racist and anti-Asian behaviour, alongside his subsequent treatment for addiction and public acknowledgement of his actions.
The backlash nonetheless placed the institution under renewed scrutiny. Galliano’s decision now means the planned will not proceed as scheduled.
The Met confirmed that the museum and the designer had jointly decided not to proceed, while saying details of a new spring Costume Institute exhibition and the 2027 Met Gala would be announced at a later date.
