1 month ago
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The 2027 Met Gala has already hit a bump in the road following the decision to no longer honour John Galliano.
British fashion designer Galliano, 65, was due to become only the third-ever person to receive a retrospective exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, following Yves Saint Laurent and Rei Kawakubo.
However, his selection proved to be controversial due to antisemitic and racist comments he made in 2010 and 2011, which went viral and resulted in a court case.
Now, Galliano has issued a joint statement with The Met, confirming his withdrawal and expressing gratitude to Met director Max Hollein, Costume Institute curator Andrew Bolton, and former Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour.
He wrote on Instagram: ‘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.’
‘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,’ he added.
‘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 recognise and respect that an exhibition honouring my work would be painful for some.’
Plans for a new spring 2027 Costume Institute exhibition are yet to be announced.
Details regarding next year’s Met Gala – helmed by Anna Wintour and occurring on the first Monday in May – are also currently unconfirmed.
Why is John Galliano controversial?
Galliano is a notoriously contentious figure in the fashion world.
In 2011, he was dismissed from his creative director position at Dior after footage of a drunken Galliano making antisemitic remarks emerged.
The first incident came in October 2010, and the second was in February 2011 at La Perle café in Paris.
Galliano was accused of using discriminatory language towards museum curator Geraldine Bloch about being Jewish in the February matter.
He was also filmed insulting her friend, who is of South Asian origin, for 45 minutes before police intervened.
A third incident involved him declaring ‘I love Hitler’ while intoxicated.
The videos circulated online before Paris Fashion Week in autumn.
While he initially denied the allegations and filed a defamation lawsuit, after being fired, Galliano stood trial and was found guilty of public insults based on origin, religious affiliation, race or ethnicity.
His lawyer had argued that his ‘outbursts’ were due to ‘work-related stress and multiple addictions’, while Galliano himself said his mental state was suffering following the death of his friend, Steven Robinson.
Galliano received suspended fines totalling €6,000.
He was also publicly condemned by famous figures, such as a ‘deeply shocked’ Natalie Portman, who said that, ‘as an individual who is proud to be Jewish, [she] will not be associated with Mr Galliano in any way’.
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