John Galliano, the controversial British designer, will no longer be the subject of an exhibit linked to the Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum, the museum said in a statement Monday.
The move comes after a growing outcry over the decision by the museum and Anna Wintour, global editorial director of Vogue, to honor the designer at the Met Gala. Galliano was fired from Dior in 2011 and found guilty of “public insults” based on origin, religion, race or ethnicity after videos emerged of the designer saying “I love Hitler” and ranting anti-Semitic abuse at a café in Paris. The Met Gala, which is held on the first Monday in May, would fall next year on Yom HaShoah, a day of Holocaust remembrance.
“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 in a statement released Monday. “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.” Galliano did “not want the debate surrounding me to place the Met in a difficult position or to distract from the remarkable work of the Costume Institute,” the statement continued.
