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John Galliano row: Why has Met cancelled planned exhibit on British fashion designer? ‘I remain deeply sorry for it’
The Met Museum has decided not to hold an exhibition for fashion designer John Galliano, scheduled for the 2027 Met Gala.
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The Metropolitan Museum of Art on Monday declared that it will not proceed with its exhibition dedicated to fashion designer John Galliano, which was scheduled to align with the 2027 Met Gala.
Galliano reached the height of the fashion industry for several years until he made a number of antisemitic and racist remarks in 2010 and 2011 that gained widespread attention, resulting in his conviction in a trial for antisemitism in France.
In 2011, a French court convicted Galliano of antisemitic conduct.
“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. 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,” Galliano said in the statement.
The museum announced that details regarding a new exhibit for the 2027 edition of the Met Gala will be revealed at a later date.
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Who is John Galliano?
Galliano, who is currently 65 years old, began his professional journey at Givenchy in 1995, subsequently assuming the role of creative director at Dior from 1997 until 2011. He then served as the creative director for the Parisian fashion house Maison Margiela from 2014 to 2024.
The announcement faced criticism due to Galliano's past controversies. He was regarded as one of the most significant and visionary figures in the couture fashion industry during the 1990s and early 2000s, but his career was derailed in 2011 following a series of antisemitic and racist incidents, including a notorious video in which he expressed admiration for Hitler at a Parisian restaurant.
After several outbursts, Galliano was found guilty of two hate crimes in Paris and was ordered to pay a fine of approximately $8,500.
In Kevin Macdonald's 2024 documentary, High & Low — John Galliano, which features footage of the two incidents, Galliano acknowledges: "It was a disgusting thing, a foul thing that I did. It was just horrific."
Looking back on the occurrences, the designer, originally from the British territory of Gibraltar, further states, “I can say I’m not racist, but every day you actually learn that all of us are a bit. But we just need to unlearn it and like immigrants. I am one. I was one.”
John Galliano controversy: What we know
According to a report from the New York Times, there had been increasing public disapproval regarding the Met Museum's choice to honor Galliano just days prior to the designer's withdrawal from the exhibition. On Friday, August 28, the publication indicated that trustees and board members of the Met were contemplating rescheduling the upcoming Met Gala from its customary first Monday in May to the following week. In 2027, Yom HaShoah, recognized as Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day, will coincide with the planned date for the Met Gala.
Additionally, the Times noted that certain donors have threatened to retract their contributions to the museum if the exhibition proceeds as intended, and they have contacted Wintour, Andrew Bolton, the curator of the Costume Institute, and Max Hollein, the museum's director.
