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John Galliano cancels Met exhibition after backlash over antisemitic past

From El Nacional · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Outcome reported
  • John Galliano canceled a planned 2027 retrospective at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art after sustained criticism over antisemitic remarks he made in 2011.
  • Galliano said he reached the decision after reflection and discussions with those involved, and repeated his apologies to Jewish and Asian communities.
  • The exhibition had been intended to examine four decades of his fashion work and address both his technical achievements and the controversy.

John Galliano’s planned return to the Metropolitan Museum of Art has ended before the exhibition opened. The designer canceled “John Galliano: Horizons,” a retrospective scheduled for spring 2027 alongside the Met Gala.

The decision followed weeks of criticism from community leaders, major donors and political figures. Galliano announced the cancellation on Instagram, saying that he had assessed the confrontational climate surrounding the exhibition since it was announced in July.

“After much reflection and conversations with everyone involved, I decided with great sadness that it is best for the exhibition not to take place at this time,” Galliano wrote. He again apologized for the offense caused to Jewish and Asian communities more than a decade ago. Met chief executive Max Hollein later confirmed the exhibition’s cancellation in a joint statement.

I love Hitler

— John GallianoThe 2011 remark, recorded at a Paris café, triggered his dismissal from Dior and a legal case.

The controversy centers on an incident in February 2011, when an amateur video recorded Galliano making antisemitic insults at a Paris café. Dior dismissed him, actress Natalie Portman publicly condemned his words, and a French court convicted him of aggravated public insults, imposing a 6,000-euro fine. The fashion industry then ostracized him for three years.

The Costume Institute, led by curator Andrew Bolton, had designed the exhibition as a survey of four decades of formal innovation. Galliano, who graduated with honors from Central Saint Martins in 1984, later led the artistic direction of Givenchy and Christian Dior. His shows became known for theatrical presentations and technical ambition, helping establish his reputation as one of fashion’s most influential designers. The planned retrospective would have made him the third living designer to receive an individual Costume Institute exhibition, after Yves Saint Laurent and Rei Kawakubo.

After much reflection and conversations with everyone involved, I decided with great sadness that it is best for the exhibition not to take place at this time

— John GallianoGalliano announced the cancellation of his planned Met retrospective.
About this summary

Originally published by El Nacional in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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