Met Museum cancels planned John Galliano Met Gala exhibit

artAug 31, 202620463

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is canceling its planned May 2027 Costume Institute exhibition honoring British designer John Galliano, the museum and Galliano said in a joint statement. Max Hollein, the museum’s director and CEO, said he and Galliano "together decided not to proceed with the exhibition." Galliano said he was "fully accountable for the pain caused by my words in the past" and that he had decided "with great sadness" it was best not to go forward. The show met severe backlash over Galliano’s history of racist and antisemitic statements, including a conviction in an antisemitism trial in France after remarks from 2010 and 2011 led to his firing from Christian Dior. Galliano returned to prominence in 2014 when he was hired by Maison Margiela, where he worked for a decade. The Met said the canceled exhibition will be replaced by another show to be announced later. New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin praised the museum’s decision, saying it was the correct move given the harm the planned honor caused the Jewish community.

Clara Jeffery

@clarajeffery.bsky.social

1/ Itwas always an insane error in judgement to make the Met Gala theme about infamous antisemite John Galliano, but to do it on Holocaust Memorial Day???? Plus new, recent incident revealed. And donors are fleeing. 🎁 www.nytimes.com/2026/08/28/s...

89Yesterday

Clara Jeffery40

2/ Really indicates that either nobody has the courage to tell Wintour no or she doesn’t listen. But also why make the theme about any one designer? Kinda spoils the whole ridiculous, fabulous conceit

Maria Bustillos10

Very prone to flattery. She was a big champion of 'Puff Daddy' and cultivated him. I will always believe Wintour wrecked U.S. fashion for decades, and for decades to come... literacy, cultural fluency, and humor plunged, and they never came back.

Ellen Enders1

Anna Wintour pushed this. She has long been a champion of Galliano & blind to the many issues. I would have no issue w/ his work being featured in the context of, say, 90's fashion. He was relevant, but his clothes were & are costume & redundant. (some are quite beautiful). McQueen & Kawakubo had

Pop Base

@popbase.tv

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

932h ago

LeeLeeOnBsky13

It’s nice to see Anna choke on it.

Skelekate8

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

Matty Tok6

“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?

LurkyMcLurk2

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

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Maladroithe42

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 Boylan39

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

Juanito7

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

Robyn Swirling6

“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”

my personality is "castlevania"4

ah the "oops we thought nobody would care" move

✨pb✨ 🦁not leo season🦁4

This was so inevitable lmao

Sam Сам サム سام4

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.

elder millennial nerd dad3

"resurfaced" doing some interesting work here

Sea Hag3

The Gala honoring him was scheduled to be held on the Day of Remembrance of the Holocaust and the Heroism.

Gaudo a.k.a. ELSLUT la zoccola dei ghiacci3

Quanto scommettiamo che non era tanto il razzismo il problema

Soraya Nadia McDonald

@soraya.press

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

62Yesterday

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

481h 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

512h ago

nycitymouse 🖖🏻2

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.

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Mona Molarsky2

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

352h 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-...

251h ago

New York Magazine

@nymag.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.

152h ago

Quoting this

Elizabeth Picciuto7

What on earth made them think this would not end up here?

Anne Hjortshøj

@annesaurus.bsky.social

I believe that pressure from Met donors (including one who was about to cancel a major gift) is the reason for this. www.businessoffashion.com/articles/lux...

52h ago

Yonette Joseph

@sugarcane99.bsky.social

Designer John Galliano Bows Out of Met Museum Show After Furious Criticism Over Plan to Honor Him www.nytimes.com/2026/08/31/s...

52h ago

✨Ubiquitous

@mrn0itall.bsky.social

They canceled plans to honor John Galliano at the Met after extensive backlash, but I’m more concerned that they thought honoring him was appropriate in the first place. It’s giving “cancelled to avoid bad press,” not “cancelled because we actually understand the harm of his racist actions.”

31h ago

Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell

@hottycouture.bsky.social

Not to mention his looks seen (by many MORE PEOPLE) on the Met Gala red carpet. This Met catalogue includes a (post-cancellation) interview with Galliano, whose work was all over the show! Which is actually pretty extraordinary, if not the (very rare) honor of a solo exhibition on a living designer.