The Metropolitan Museum of Art has announced that designer John Galliano will be the subject of a career-spanning exhibition at its Costume Institute in 2027. The selection makes Galliano the third living designer to receive a solo exhibition at the institution, following Yves Saint Laurent in 1983 and Rei Kawakubo in 2017.
Galliano’s career spans his namesake label, followed by positions at Givenchy and Dior, where he served as creative director from October 1996 through March 2011. More recently, he has led Maison Margiela from 2014 through 2024. The exhibition will examine his entire career trajectory, including both his design achievements and the circumstances surrounding his departure from Dior. In 2011, video footage emerged showing Galliano making antisemitic remarks in a Paris café while intoxicated. He was subsequently fired by Dior, found guilty by a Paris court of public insults based on religion, race, and ethnicity, and received fines and was required to pay damages and court fees.
According to reporting, the decision to mount the exhibition did not come quickly. Met officials, including Costume Institute curator Andrew Bolton and Vogue global editorial director Anna Wintour, held meetings in May with Galliano and Jewish leaders in New York City to discuss the possibility. The Met stated the exhibition will examine “how aesthetic achievement, ethical accountability and institutional recognition intersect.” Following his period away from public life, Galliano addressed his struggles with alcoholism and drug addiction while meeting with Jewish leaders and rabbis, and receiving recognition from organizations including the Anti-Defamation League.
The exhibition, titled “John Galliano: Horizons,” will be divided into three sections: “Bearings,” “Horizons,” and “Atlas of Transformation.” A catalog will accompany the exhibition, written by Bolton and published by The Met. Currently, Galliano is designing for Zara under a two-year agreement to reimagine the brand’s archive, with his first collection expected in September.
Article Attribution | Read More at Article Source
Article summary produced by Claude AI