The Designer Said The Controversy Surrounding His Past Risked Distracting From The Museum And Acknowledged That An Exhibition Honoring His Work Would Be Painful For Some
The Metropolitan Museum of Art will no longer proceed with its planned John Galliano retrospective, with the designer and the museum jointly deciding to cancel the 2027 Costume Institute exhibition following mounting criticism over Galliano’s past antisemitic, racist and anti-Asian conduct.
The exhibition, “John Galliano: Horizons,” had been scheduled to run from May 9, 2027, through Jan. 9, 2028. Announced in late July, it was set to examine Galliano’s four-decade career as well as the controversy that led to his dismissal from Christian Dior and his namesake label in 2011.
“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,” Galliano said in a statement posted to Instagram. “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.”
Galliano also directly addressed the impact of his past conduct and the criticism surrounding the museum’s decision to mount a retrospective of his work.
“I also recognize and respect that an exhibition honoring my work would be painful for some,” he said. “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. 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.”
The Met confirmed the decision Monday. “Following thoughtful discussions with John Galliano, we have together decided not to proceed with the exhibition,” said Max Hollein, director and chief executive officer of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The museum said details of a replacement spring Costume Institute exhibition and the 2027 Met Gala will be announced at a later date.
The cancellation ends plans for what would have been a rare institutional distinction for a living designer. Only Yves Saint Laurent, in 1983, and Rei Kawakubo, in 2017, have previously received solo monographic retrospectives at the Costume Institute during their lifetimes.
The proposed exhibition was intended to examine Galliano’s work alongside the events that interrupted his career. The Met had said the show would address the “rupture caused by his antisemitic, racist, and anti-Asian conduct in 2010 and 2011,” as well as his subsequent treatment for addiction and later public acknowledgment of his actions. Galliano was dismissed from Christian Dior and his namesake label following the incidents and was subsequently convicted by a Paris court of public insults based on race, religion, ethnicity or origin.
Opposition to the exhibition intensified following its announcement. Julie Menin, speaker of the New York City Council and one of the city’s most senior Jewish elected officials, wrote to museum leadership calling the proposed retrospective “a serious mistake.” Donors and other museum supporters had also reportedly raised concerns about the exhibition.
Anna Wintour, a longtime supporter of Galliano and an advocate for an exhibition devoted to his career, backed the decision to cancel the show.
“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,” Wintour said. “I believe this is the right decision and both he and the museum have my full support.”
Andrew Bolton, curator in charge of The Met’s Costume Institute, similarly acknowledged the competing considerations surrounding the exhibition. “I believe deeply in the responsibility of museums to examine difficult histories with rigor, candor, and care. I also recognize the pain and concern this exhibition has caused.”
The retrospective would have followed a renewed period of attention around Galliano’s work. His Spring 2024 Artisanal collection for Maison Margiela became one of the most widely discussed shows of his decade at the House. Galliano ended his tenure at Maison Margiela in December 2025 and is scheduled to return to fashion this fall through a two-year partnership with Zara, with a launch event planned for Sept. 30 during Paris Fashion Week.
Galliano concluded his statement by thanking The Met and those involved in developing the exhibition, while also referring to his recovery from alcoholism and addiction.
“To have my creative journey considered by an institution that I have admired throughout my life moved me more deeply than I can express,” he said. “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.
“My gratitude to The Met, Max, Andrew and Anna remains profound and enduring,” Galliano added. “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.”