Met Museum Cancels John Galliano Exhibit After Community Backlash

The Metropolitan Museum of Art said on Monday it will drop the planned "John Galliano: Horizons" exhibition that was to open at the spring Costume Institute show and the Met Gala. Director and CEO Max Hollein said the decision was made after "thoughtful discussions with John Galliano" and that the museum and the designer agreed to cancel the show.

"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. 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," the designer said in a joint statement. Galliano, once creative director of Christian Dior, was dismissed in 2011 after antisemitic and racist remarks surfaced, including statements praising Hitler and suggesting Jewish families would have been "gassed." He later returned to fashion with Maison Margiela and was set to become only the third living designer to receive a solo Costume Institute show. Jewish community leaders had objected to the exhibit. New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin praised the cancellation, saying the honor would have been a "gut punch" to the Jewish community amid rising antisemitism. Jonathan Greenblatt, chief executive of the Anti-Defamation League, called the planned exhibit "the wrong move at the wrong moment" and said the Met had been urged to cancel. The Met had originally framed the show as a critical look at Galliano’s past mistakes and had consulted with Jewish leaders, but the backlash persisted. The museum will replace the cancelled exhibit with another, though details were not provided.