Met Gala 2027 Theme Scrapped After Designer Faces Backlash Over Antisemitic 'I Love Hitler' Remark

The planned John Galliano exhibition, John Galliano: Horizons, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for spring 2027 has been cancelled following mounting criticism over the British designer's past antisemitic and racist remarks. The decision ends a controversy that intensified after the exhibition was announced in July.

'After much reflection and discussion with the Met and all those involved, I have decided, with great sadness, that it is best for the exhibition not to take place at this time,' Galliano announced on 31 August.

The exhibition was intended to examine Galliano's career across major fashion houses including Givenchy, Christian Dior, and Maison Margiela. It was also set to serve as the basis for the 2027 Met Gala, scheduled for 3 May.

The Met has said details of a replacement spring exhibition will be announced later.

Galliano's Past Subject to Backlash

The controversy centres on incidents from 2010 and 2011, when Galliano was filmed and accused of making antisemitic and racist remarks in Paris. In one widely reported incident, he was recorded saying that he loved Adolf Hitler while directing offensive comments at people in a bar. The scandal led to his dismissal from Dior. In September 2011, a Paris court found him guilty of public insults based on origin, religion, race or ethnicity and handed him a suspended €6,000 fine.

Galliano entered treatment for alcohol and prescription-drug abuse after the controversy and later returned to the fashion industry.

He was appointed creative director of Maison Margiela in 2014 and remained in the role until his departure in 2024. He also met with representatives of the Anti-Defamation League and Jewish leaders as part of his efforts to address his past conduct.

In an email to The New York Times reported in early August 2026, ADL chief executive Jonathan Greenblatt said the organisation believed Galliano had genuinely addressed the issues behind his past antisemitic outburst and had accepted his apology. 'His efforts to repair the damage his words caused and to learn from that incident should be applauded,' Greenblatt also said.

The planned Met exhibition nevertheless faced opposition from Jewish leaders, politicians and others. Concerns were heightened by its connection to the 2027 Met Gala, which was scheduled for 3 May - the date on which Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, begins at sundown.

Pressure Mounts on the Met

The decision to honour Galliano drew criticism from Jewish leaders, fashion commentators and figures connected to the museum. New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin publicly opposed the plan, saying she had disagreed with the decision from the outset and that, 'at this rising time of antisemitism, it had served as a gut punch to the Jewish community.'

The Met had defended the project by saying Galliano's controversial past would not be ignored. The planned exhibition was designed to examine the antisemitic, racist, and anti-Asian conduct that led to his dismissal from Dior and his conviction, alongside his treatment for substance addiction and subsequent efforts to take responsibility.

Galliano announced that, after discussions with Met leaders, he had decided it was best for the exhibition not to proceed. In his statement, he said he remained accountable for the pain caused by his past words and did not want the controversy surrounding him to place the Met in a difficult position or distract from the work of its Costume Institute.

Met director and chief executive Max Hollein said the museum and Galliano had reached the decision together, while Anna Wintour praised Galliano's decision as courageous.