John Galliano has called off a planned exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art that was set to honor his decades-long career, the designer announced in a statement.
Galliano said he was “profoundly grateful” to the Met, and specifically to Max Hollein, Andrew Bolton, and Anna Wintour, for the opportunity to have his creative journey considered by an institution he has “admired throughout my life.” He described the process as moving him “more deeply than I can express.”
“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,” Galliano wrote.
The designer addressed the controversy that has followed him since his 2011 antisemitic outburst in Paris, which led to his dismissal from Christian Dior. “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,” he said, adding 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 he did not want the debate surrounding him “to place the Met in a difficult position or to distract from the remarkable work of the Costume Institute,” and acknowledged that an exhibition honoring his work “would be painful for some.”
He also used the statement to reflect on his personal recovery, thanking those who have supported him through “fifteen years of sobriety and recovery from alcoholism and addiction.”
“My gratitude to the Met, Max, Andrew and Anna remains profound and enduring,” Galliano concluded. “Their generosity, humanity and belief in the importance of fashion as art, culture and history — as well as their understanding of human fragility and the possibility of growth — will remain with me always.”
