Julie Menin Among Those Who Fought for Cancellation of John Galliano Exhibit at Met Gala
Despite being found guilty of antisemitism in Paris, The Metropolitan Museum of Art planned to honor John Galliano with a 2027 Costume Institute exhibit that was going to kick off with the Met Gala. Now, as controversy swirled, Galliano has withdrawn and the exhibit is cancelled.
| 01 Sep 2026 | 05:42
Fashion designer John Galliano poses at the end of the presentation of the Dior Haute Couture spring/summer 2010 fashion collection on Jan. 25, 2010, in Paris. (
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Anna Wintour, Conde Nast chief content officer and long time editor of Vogue arrives at The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of the "Costume Art" exhibition on May 4, 2026. (
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After a month of controversy and criticism, The Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibition honoring John Galliano has been cancelled.
The original July 31 announcement of the planned Costume Institute exhibit was met with intense backlash given Galliano’s history of antisemetic behavior.
When recorded remarks of Galliano saying he loved Hitler went viral alongside 2011 public insults, the British designer was fired from his longstanding position as the creative director of Christian Dior.
Galliano was later found guilty of antisemetic and racist remarks in Paris.
The Costume Institute had planned to examine this behavior as part of the exhibit.
“It will directly address the rupture caused by his antisemitic, racist, and anti-Asian conduct in 2010 and 2011, which resulted in his dismissal from Christian Dior and his eponymous label and his conviction by a Paris court for public insults based on race, religion, ethnicity, or origin,” the exhibit announcement said. “It will also consider his subsequent treatment for substance addiction and his later public acknowledgment of his actions.”
At the time, Galliano blamed his behavior on “triple addiction” and attended rehab before spending a decade as the creative director of Maison Margiela.
Still, many found the exhibit to be inappropriate and lobbied for its cancellation.
Among these voices was Speaker of the New York City Council, Julie Menin.
As the first Jewish Speaker of the New York City Council and the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, Menin said she “strongly disagreed” with plans to honor the 65-year-old designer calling it a “gut punch to the Jewish Community.”
Ultimately, Galliano took to Instagram Aug. 31 to announce his decision to pull out of the exhibit.
“After much reflection and discussion with all those involved, I have decided, with great sadness, that it is best for the exhibition not to take place at this time,” he said in a statement also shared by The Met.
After expressing gratitude for the proposed exhibit, Galliano went on to address the pain previously caused by his words.
“I understand that meaningful atonement is not achieved through an exhibition, institutional recognition or a single public gesture. It is a continuing responsibility, demonstrated through listening, learning and one’s conduct over time,” Galliano said in the statement.
The exhibit–anticipated to launch at the 2027 Met Gala–would have marked only the third time the museum has honored a living designer as Galliano was set to join the ranks of Yves Saint Laurent and Rei Kawakubo.
In an Aug. 31 statement, Menin shared she was pleased to hear the museum would no longer be honoring Galliano and said she participated in several “lengthy meetings and conversations with The Met” to discuss her concerns.
“Museums such as The Met must be held to a high standard of inclusiveness and tolerance, and I am pleased that they have listened to the concerns I have raised and reacted with the right decision,” Menin said in the statement.
A new theme for the upcoming exhibit and gala has yet to be announced.
“John’s decision that the exhibition devoted to his work should not take place at this time is very courageous and a measure of the man he is,” Met Trustee Anna Wintour, the long time editor in chief of Vogue and a driving force behind the glitzy Met Gala, said in a statement. “I believe this is the right decision, and both he and the Museum have my full support.”