Anna Wintour calls Galliano Met withdrawal the right move
John Galliano has withdrawn from a planned 2027 Met Costume Institute show after backlash over his past antisemitic remarks, and Anna Wintour said she believes pulling the exhibition is the right decision for the museum and those hurt by the controversy. The Metropolitan Museum of Art will not proceed with the Galliano-themed showcase once linked to next year's Met Gala.
Key Takeaways
- Galliano withdrew from the planned “John Galliano: Horizons” Costume Institute exhibition after public outrage.
- Anna Wintour called his decision “very courageous” and said it was “the right decision.”
- Criticism intensified because the 2027 Met Gala date would fall on Yom HaShoah, a Holocaust remembrance day.
- City Council Speaker Julie Menin and Jewish leaders condemned the honor; curator Andrew Bolton backed canceling it.
What happened with the Met Galliano exhibition?
Weeks after the Met named controversial British designer John Galliano as the theme for its 2027 Met Gala–linked Costume Institute show, the museum said the plan was off. In a statement released Monday, Galliano said that after reflection he decided “it is best for the exhibition not to take place at this time.”
He wrote that he remains “fully accountable for the pain caused by my words in the past, particularly the hurt I caused to the Jewish and Asian communities,” and that he did not want debate about him to put the Met in a difficult position or distract from the Costume Institute’s work. According to CNN, Costume Institute curator Andrew Bolton said he recognized “the pain and concern this exhibition has caused” and supported not proceeding.
Why did Anna Wintour and critics object so strongly?
Galliano was fired from Dior in 2011 and found guilty in France of “public insults” based on origin, religion, race or ethnicity after videos showed him saying “I love Hitler” and directing antisemitic abuse in a Paris café. The planned Met Gala, held on the first Monday in May, would next year fall on Yom HaShoah.
Anna Wintour, Vogue’s global editorial director and longtime Met Gala organizer, said Galliano’s withdrawal was “very courageous and a measure of the man he is,” adding, “I believe this is the right decision.” Outside fashion, outrage grew quickly. New York Daily News opinion writer Tamar Major, national director of Yad Vashem USA Foundation, noted donors and Jewish leaders objected and that City Council Speaker Julie Menin called the exhibition a “gut punch” to the Jewish community.
Why does the Met honor debate still matter now?
Museum materials had framed the show as considering artistic achievement alongside ethical accountability, while calling Galliano highly influential. Critics argued a Met retrospective is an honor, not a private second chance, and that the museum should explain how the plan advanced at all.
Galliano would have been only the third living designer given a Met retrospective, after Rei Kawakubo in 2017 and Yves Saint Laurent in 1983. The cancellation closes the immediate fight over the 2027 theme, but leaves open questions about institutional judgment. For more BlasterPost culture and tech coverage, see our Future Tech & AI Wonders hub.