An exhibition honouring the work of fashion designer John Galliano at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art has been cancelled following a backlash about the designer’s controversial comments in the past.
The exhibition, called John Galliano: Horizons, was announced earlier this month and was set to have been kicked off by the annual Met Gala next spring.
It comes after Galliano was convicted of a hate crime by a French court in 2011 after a series of racist and antisemitic remarks.
In a statement posted on Instagram today (August 31), the designer wrote: “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.”
He added: “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.”
Galliano went on to say that he did not want “to distract from the remarkable work” of the Met’s Costume Institute and said he recognised and respected that “an exhibition honouring my work would be painful for some”.
Galliano’s statement also noted his “15 years of sobriety and recovery from alcoholism and addiction”.
Vogue global editorial director Anna Wintour, a trustee of the Met and co-chair of the Met Gala added: “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,” she said.
“I believe this is the right decision, and both he and the Museum have my full support.”
In a separate statement, the Metropolitan Museum of Art director and chief executive officer, Max Hollein, added: “Following thoughtful discussions with John Galliano, we have together decided not to proceed with the exhibition.”
Last week (August 28), a report in the New York Times said that opposition to the museum’s planned exhibition honouring Galliano had grown in recent days.
The newspaper also reported that some donors had contacted the Met and said gifts to the museum would be withdrawn if the exhibition went ahead as planned.
As per The Guardian, New York City council speaker, Julie Menin, also sent a letter to the Met, saying the museum’s decision to honour Galliano “a mistake” and urged them to reconsider.
Today, Menin wrote on social media: “Museums such as The Met must be held to a high standard of inclusiveness and tolerance, and I am pleased that they have listened to the concerns I have raised and reacted with the right decision.”
Menin described herself in the statement as the daughter of a Holocaust survivor and the first Jewish speaker of the New York City council, adding: “This decision was personal to me, and the Jewish community and I felt a strong obligation to speak out.”
The museum meanwhile said that details about “a new spring Costume Institute exhibition and the 2027 Met Gala will be announced at a later date”.
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