The Metropolitan Museum of Art and fashion designer John Galliano announced in a joint statement Monday that a planned exhibition honoring Galliano's work has been canceled. The retrospective was intended to serve as the center of the 2027 edition of the Met Gala.
The decision follows severe backlash from politicians, donors, and the Jewish community due to the designer's history of racist and antisemitic statements. Galliano, a 65-year-old British designer, was convicted of a hate crime by a French court in 2011 after a series of remarks made in 2010 and 2011 went viral. These events previously led to his removal as the creative director of Christian Dior.
Galliano expressed sadness that the exhibition will not take place and apologized again for the hurt caused to the Jewish and Asian communities, stating that he remains fully accountable for his past words. The museum announced that plans for a new exhibit to power the 2027 Met Gala will be shared at a later date.