The John Galliano retrospective that was to be The Met’s next spring exhibition at the Costume Institute is not going ahead.
“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,” the designer said in a post on his Instagram account, referring to the discussion around his controversial past since the show was announced in late July. “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.
“I also recognize and respect that an exhibition honoring my work would be painful for some,” he continued. “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.”
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Only two living fashion designers have been given solo monographic retrospectives at the Costume Institute: Yves Saint Laurent in 1983 and Rei Kawakubo in 2017.
“Following thoughtful discussions with John Galliano, we have together decided not to proceed with the exhibition,” Max Hollein, director and chief executive officer of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, said in a brief statement Monday.
The museum added that information on a new spring Costume Institute exhibition and the 2027 Met Gala will be revealed at a later date.
The “John Galliano: Horizons” exhibition was to run from May 9, 2027, to Jan. 9, 2028, and focus on “one of the most inventive and influential designers of the past four decades.
The retrospective was to address the “rupture caused by his antisemitic, racist, and anti-Asian conduct in 2010 and 2011,” which led to his dismissal from Christian Dior and his eponymous label, and his conviction by a Paris court for “public insults based on race, religion, ethnicity, or origin.”
The exhibition was also to highlight his “subsequent treatment for substance addiction and his later public acknowledgment of his actions,” according to The Met.
However, pressure has been mounting on the museum to cancel the show. In recent days The New York Times ran a front-page story about the growing furor around the planned exhibit, partially sparked by a letter from Julie Menin, the speaker of the City Council, and one of the most senior Jewish officials in city government. She sent a letter to Hollein, curator Andrew Bolton and Anna Wintour last week, calling the planned exhibit “a serious mistake.” Numerous donors and supporters of the museum also expressed opposition.
Wintour has long been a supporter of Galliano’s and pushed for a Costume Institute exhibit devoted to his career. Such an exhibition gained fresh urgency with his triumphant spring 2024 Artisanal collection for Maison Margiela, a theatrical tour de force that proved his unrivaled mastery of couture techniques, his extraordinary imagination — and his unerring grasp of the zeitgeist.
On Monday, even as the show was canceled, Wintour refused to hedge in his support of the designer or admit that she had over-reached in pushing for a show of his career. “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 in a statement. “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, echoed the sentiment: “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.”
While Galliano wound up his 10-year collaboration with Maison Margiela in December 2025, having delivered thrills, cultural moments and business progression galore, Galliano is to return to the fashion spotlight this fall when he launches his first season collection as part of a two-year partnership with Zara.
A launch event has been scheduled for Sept. 30 during Paris Fashion Week.
In his post, Galliano expressed his gratitude to the museum an its key stakeholders for proposing the exhibition.
“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 wrote. “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,” he 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.”
