John Galliano Cancels Met Exhibition After Antisemitism Criticism

According to the BBC, John Galliano has cancelled a major Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibition in New York that was due to open in May 2027 after criticism over his previous conviction for making antisemitic remarks. Galliano said he decided, after discussions with the Met and others involved, that it was best for the exhibition not to go ahead at this time. The British designer was dismissed as Dior's creative director in 2011 and later found guilty of abusing a Jewish curator in a Paris restaurant. A court also heard that he directed racist insults at her South Asian friend and, in a separate incident, declared support for Hitler. Galliano said he remained accountable for the pain caused by his past words, especially to Jewish and Asian communities, and noted his 15 years of sobriety and recovery from alcoholism and addiction. The exhibition, titled John Galliano: Horizons, would also have provided the theme for the next Met Gala, scheduled for 3 May and set to coincide with Yom HaShoah. Vogue global editorial director Anna Wintour, a Met trustee and Met Gala co-chair, said she supported Galliano's decision and believed it was the right one. New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin and Anti-Defamation League chief executive Jonathan Greenblatt had previously criticized the plan to honor Galliano.