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Metropolitan Museum of Art cancels John Galliano exhibition
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has cancelled the planned 2027 retrospective exhibition, ‘John Galliano: Horizons,’ which was intended to coincide with the Met Gala. The decision follows intense public backlash and pressure from donors and political figures, including New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin, regarding the designer’s history of antisemitic and racist remarks made in 2011.
Met Director Max Hollein stated that the museum and Galliano decided together to discontinue the project. Galliano expressed “great sadness” over the cancellation but noted that he remains fully accountable for the pain caused to Jewish and Asian communities. He emphasized that institutional recognition does not constitute true atonement.
The controversy was further heightened by the fact that the 2027 Met Gala was scheduled to take place on May 3, coinciding with Yom HaShoah, the Holocaust Remembrance Day. The museum plans to develop a different exhibition for the Costume Institute and a new concept for the 2027 Met Gala.
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Anna Wintour · Costume Institute · John Galliano · Julie Menin · Max Hollein · Met Gala · Metropolitan Museum of Art · The Metropolitan Museum of Art