John Galliano, the designer who was to be featured in an upcoming exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute, has officially withdrawn, after objections and pressure from donors.
According to the New York Times, “Galliano’s decision came at a time when a number of donors and political leaders were coming forward to express their opposition to the nine-month exhibition, which had been scheduled to begin with next year’s Met Gala.”
“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.
A French court found Galliano guilty of an antisemitic hate crime in 2011.
After the Met announced it would be honoring Galliano, his biographer wrote that “there is no definition” of antisemitism “narrow enough to exclude Galliano’s infamous outburst, in which he praised Hitler and told fellow café patrons their ancestors would have been gassed.”
(It took the New York Times 13 paragraphs into its report to note the Hitler comments.)
I wrote about the controversy over Galliano and his history of antisemitism here.
I have to say: I regret that the Met looks to get off the hook by Galliano’s withdrawal. It knew full well what it was doing and didn’t care.