It’s official: John Galliano has been selected for a career-spanning exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2027.
The move to give Galliano’s work a coveted spotlight in the Met’s Costume Institute — an exhibition that serves as the centerpiece for the annual Met Gala, one of the world’s most watched and obsessed-over red carpet events — makes him the third living designer to receive a solo exhibition at the Met. The honor was previously bestowed upon Yves Saint Laurent (in 1983) and Rei Kawakubo (in 2017).
That means his entire career, from runway highs to antisemitic lows, will fall into focus at the Met. It will cover the start at his namesake label before he segued to culture-shifting work at Givenchy and later, Dior, where he led the famed house for nearly 15 years as creative director from October 1996 through March 2011. More recently, he has led Maison Margiela from 2014 through 2024.
And it will not shy away from his firing by Dior when video footage surfaced showing an inebriated Galliano making antisemitic remarks in a Paris café. The tirade not only led to a professional downfall and a retreat from public life for approximately two years, Galliano was found guilty by a Paris court of public insults based on religion, race, and ethnicity. He received a fine and was forced to pay damages and court fees. Galliano’s retreat, well-detailed in reports, interviews and a documentary, included meeting with Jewish leaders, rabbis and receiving blessings from groups like the Anti-Defamation League.
