John Galliano Met Gala Exhibit Canceled After Backlash
Fashion designer John Galliano has withdrawn from a planned Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibition honoring his work, according to a joint statement issued by Galliano and the museum on Monday, August 31, 2026. The cancellation follows intense public backlash regarding a series of antisemitic and racist remarks the designer made in 2010 and 2011, which led to his conviction in an antisemitism trial in France.
According to The New York Times, the joint announcement arrived just ahead of a scheduled meeting of the Met’s board of trustees to discuss the fate of the exhibition. Trustees and board members had previously considered rescheduling the museum’s major fundraiser away from its announced May 3 date to avoid conflicting with Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day.
Public Backlash and Official Responses
Opposition to the exhibition gained momentum in the weeks preceding the cancellation. According to The New York Times, New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin sent a letter to museum leadership urging them not to honor Galliano at the gala.
Menin stated that honoring the designer served as a painful blow to the Jewish community during a period of rising antisemitism, emphasizing her perspective as the daughter of a Holocaust survivor and the first Jewish speaker of the New York City Council.
Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt also criticized the initial plans on social media.
This was the wrong move at the wrong moment. Timing matters.
Galliano’s Statement and Future Museum Plans
In the joint statement released on August 31, 2026, Galliano addressed the controversy directly, acknowledging the harm caused by his past statements.
Following the cancellation of the Galliano retrospective, representatives for the Metropolitan Museum of Art stated that plans for a replacement exhibition will be announced at a later date.