Met Museum cancels planned John Galliano Met Gala exhibit

artAug 31, 2026411,000

The Metropolitan Museum of Art announced Monday that it is canceling the planned May 2027 Costume Institute exhibition honoring British designer John Galliano after intense backlash over his past antisemitic and racist statements. Museum director and CEO Max Hollein said he and Galliano agreed together not to proceed, and the Met said the show will be replaced by another exhibition to be announced later. Galliano issued a statement saying he is “fully accountable for the pain caused by my words in the past,” that he is “deeply sorry” to Jewish and Asian communities, and that he decided with “great sadness” the exhibition should not take place. Galliano had been fired from Christian Dior after racist and antisemitic comments surfaced in 2010 and 2011 and was convicted in an antisemitism trial in France; he returned to high fashion in 2014 with Maison Margiela, where he worked for a decade. The planned Galliano retrospective would have made him only the third living designer to receive a solo Costume Institute show. New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin praised the Met’s decision, citing the harm the planned honor had caused to the Jewish community.

Mark Harris

@markharris.bsky.social

This is appropriate. When you have public antisemitic outbursts (plural), there are consequences even if you repent as Galliano seems to have done, and one of those consequences is that you forfeit your right to be the subject of a giant New York City tribute. But...> www.nytimes.com/2026/08/31/s...

20745d ago

Mark Harris159

...I object to City Council speaker Julie Menin manipulatively calling the show one more injury to a Jewish community that is "already reeling." The Jews I know are not reeling. We're vigilant about antisemitism, but we also get that the terrible thing happening right now is not happening to us. >

888lin.bsky.social4

The fact that the management of the MET and the Gala charity even considered celebrating this guy is a black mark on them. But they already made clowns of themselves with the Bezos fiasco.

popularfront.bsky.social2

Galliano hurled more antisemitic comments in 2019. Atonement tbd.

Pop Base

@popbase.tv

The 2027 Met Gala exhibit dedicated to John Galliano has been cancelled after his past racist and antisemitic comments resurfaced.

15645d ago

Matty Tok33

“Resurfaced” is a funny to phrase this. It was always there and always known about, this was immediately discussed when announced. They were hoping we’d forget I guess?

LeeLeeOnBsky26

It’s nice to see Anna choke on it.

Skelekate13

He was also convicted in court about it, right? He never should have been selected for a gala.

LurkyMcLurk2

Profiles in courage (to hope people didn’t pay attention)

Quoting this

Maladroithe83

I think there is a way to recognize his obvious talent without sanitizing his past AND I don’t think Anna Wintour and her ilk are capable of threading that needle

Lindsey Boylan49

The idea shocked me from the beginning - especially in this moment

metal dot txt46

"resurfaced" is a funny way to spell "has a wikipedia section so long you can't fit it on one screen"

Jessica9

"Resurfaced" is doing quite a bit of work here. There is not a single person involved who did not know this about him. They just thought they'd get away with doing the show anyway.

Juanito9

They didn't resurface they were always very well known especially considering the aftermath of those comments the people in charge just decided that they didn't care but the backlash was overwhelming

Kathryn Brightbill ✒️8

If you're going to do a Galliano retrospective, which you really shouldn't, you should wait until he's dead. Dude was going around saying straight up Nazi shit about gassing people and declaring his love for Hitler.

Robyn Swirling8

“Resurfaced” is an interesting frame for “people who fully knew about but just wanted to ignore Galliano’s repeated and quite recent comments and behaviors were forced to hear about it”

elder millennial nerd dad7

"resurfaced" doing some interesting work here

✨pb✨ (p)aul (b)aker5

This was so inevitable lmao

Sam Сам サム سام5

What the fuck do they mean by “resurfaced”. They’re a matter of public record. The Met were just too cowardly to give a shit.

Sean T. Collins

@seantcollins.com

Between the Bezos Met Gala last year and her attempt at Galliano this year it's pretty easy to figure out where Anna Wintour stands on things. I know, I know, a Nazi in high fashion, the mind boggles

10645d ago

Gretchen Felker-Martin PRE ORDER CHIMERA 2.16.27 🍉20

"You don't have ethical concerns, Hannibal; only aesthetic ones."

Soraya Nadia McDonald

@soraya.press

A change of date isn't going to make honoring Galliano any less antisemitic of a decision, Anna

6646d ago

The New York Times

@nytimes.com

Breaking News: Facing a backlash over antisemitic remarks, the fashion designer John Galliano will withdraw from a planned Met exhibition in his honor. nyti.ms/4zS5KBa

6045d ago

nycitymouse 🖖🏻4

Good! He never should have been chosen in the first place. Whoever was responsible ought to be ashamed of themselves, assuming we still have shame.

Quoting this

T Scott9

It’s not for me to forgive him but I also don’t know why Anna and nem thought The North forgot? He was caught in 4K barely 15 years ago and said he did not care one bit. Why would you build a whole exhibit around him and think that wouldn’t be relevant?

Mona Molarsky5

Finally! But shame on the Met that it took them so long to do the right thing.

Andrew Jacobs (he/him)2

this whole debacle was such a weird, unnecessary misstep. it's not like they have to go alphabetically through a list of designers, got to "G," and were stumped; it was just wintour trying to flex. now we're all going to have to suffer through ten million "cancel culture" op-eds.

Patrick Monahan

@pattymo.com

Tough break for Anna Wintour and the Met as John Galliano was the only exhibition subject available

5145d ago

Dominique Baker

@bakerdphd.bsky.social

"...the museum was debating whether to move the date of the Met Gala...because it would have coincided with Holocaust Remembrance Day." When it can't be the first Monday in May, because it's Holocaust Remembrance Day....gotta let it go www.thecut.com/article/the-...

3645d ago

Michael J. Stern

@michaeljstern.bsky.social

Galliano was convicted of an antisemitic hate crime in France. Also, there's a video of Galliano saying “I love Hitler” and telling appalled patrons that “your mothers, your forefathers” would all be “gassed.” Why is Anna Wintour, Vogue's editor, honoring this guy?? www.nytimes.com/2026/08/31/s...

2444d ago

Kath Barbadoro

@kathbarbadoro.bsky.social

So funny how we’ve all become so inured to accusations of antisemitism that you hear John galliano is in trouble and think “ok ok what is it this time” and then it’s the most antisemitic sentence ever uttered

3544d ago

Kath Barbadoro30

“Anti Zionism isn’t antisemi-“ John Galliano: I am Adolf Hitler

Tyler2

Yeah, it's really hard to make this flub unintentionally. I know nothing about Wintour except what everybody knows about her, but this is a tell for something

Karen Geier2

I kept hearing people say they watched the documentary on mubi and they were like “we really lost a good one” and a complete memory hole of the fact that he didn’t die, he was fashion napalm for being a SHITLORD

Jeff (Hot Type) Jarvis

@jeffjarvis.bsky.social

Take that, Anna. The Met has canceled its exhibit and gala planned for controversial fashion designer John Galliano www.wsj.com/style/fashio...

2545d ago

Reuters

@reuters.com

Fashion designer John Galliano and New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art have scrapped a planned 2027 retrospective in his honor after an outcry over plans to honor a designer whose career was derailed by antisemitic remarks www.reuters.com/business/med...

1844d ago

The Cut

@thecut.com

After backlash to the Met and Anna Wintour’s decision to celebrate controversial designer John Galliano, the museum announced Monday that the exhibition is cancelled.

1945d ago

Jesse Thorn

@jessethorn.bsky.social

I can’t believe Galliano got cancelled just because he is an insane drunken drug addict monster. I’m moving to Austin to do unfunny standup. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/31/s...

2145d ago

Daniel Fienberg

@thefienprint.bsky.social

A. Good B. I'll forever wonder what the Met EXPECTED the reaction to <all of this> would be. Was this an example of misunderstanding dividing lines in eras of "woke" or some similar nonsense? Why was NOW the time? C. Anna Wintour's statement, which still leads with praising Galliano, is grotesque.

1545d ago

Craig M. Ranapia2

Well, I guess the Met expected the reaction to be exactly the same as it was three years ago when the Costume Institute honoured a racist, misogynistic assbag like Karl Lagerfeld. Who also happened to have infinitely more clout in the fashion industry (and fashion media) as the face of Chanel.

Citizen.Coping

@propcazhpm.bsky.social

"Facing an intense backlash, Galliano has taken the unprecedented step of withdrawing from a planned exhibition in his honor at the Met. 'After much reflection and discussion with those involved, I've decided, with great sadness, that it is best for the exhibition not to take place at this time.'"

845d ago

3 sources

nytimes.comMetropolitan Museum Faces Further Criticism Over John Galliano Exhibition (Gift Article)ctvnews.caMetropolitan Museum of Art cancels planned Met Gala exhibit on fashion designer John Galliano apnews.comMetropolitan Museum of Art cancels planned Met Gala exhibit on fashion designer John Galliano

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Met Museum cancels planned John Galliano Met Gala exhibit

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