Great Artists Do Bad Things
The sheer volume of commentary surrounding the John Galliano Costume Institute fiasco makes it easy to feel a sense of fatigue. Yet, the situation offers a profound teaching moment about creative accountability and institutional power. While many critics have weighed in, Robin Givhan’s eloquent and considered op-ed in The New York Times has been the most insightful analysis of the debacle (please note, there is a paywall).
At this point, there is no denying that the Costume Institute’s announcement of John Galliano: Horizons was a complete failure of stewardship. The Met, curator Andrew Bolton, and trustee Anna Wintour all seemed entirely caught off guard by the emotional debate the announcement triggered, despite the obvious fact that it would generate intense social media scrutiny and legitimate public criticism. What is even more disconcerting was the anticipated spectacle of the Met Gala red carpet itself. As Givhan pointed out, the optics of dozens of celebrities arriving dressed in Galliano's designs would have looked less like a critical examination of an artist and more like a celebration of the man himself.
In the end, however, no one needs to worry about what to wear to a Galliano Met Gala because the exhibition was derailed not by public outcry, but by the museum’s donors. In what insiders describe as a signature "Anna power move," major donors were not notified prior to the public announcement. Once they learned of the planned retrospective, key patrons relayed their discontent to the museum leadership—including director Max Hollein, Bolton, and Wintour—in very direct terms, threatening to rescind financial gifts and pull promised bequests if the show proceeded.
Despite Bolton and Wintour’s reported intentions to address Galliano’s 2010 and 2011 criminal antisemitic and anti-Asian rants as a pivotal chapter in the designer's personal and creative evolution, the backlash was insurmountable. With mounting criticism from political and Jewish community leaders, in the end, there was nothing left to do but for Galliano to exit stage left. As of this date, the Costume Institute has not announced a replacement theme.
This leaves The Met in an interesting position, because while Galliano’s work has been included in other Costume Institute shows, like last year’s Costume Art exhibition and Heavenly Bodies in 2018, a monographic solo retrospective proved to be a bridge too far. Dedicating an entire seasonal exhibition exclusively to his career sparked fears that the museum would do more to actively rewrite his legacy rather than examine his failings.
This is really the crux of the issue. The fashion industry has a long history of tolerating brilliant creators who exhibit deeply problematic, offensive, or even cruel public behavior. While Galliano’s criminal hate speech remains one of the most dramatic downfalls, other legendary designers like Coco Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld, Dolce & Gabbana, Alexander Wang, and Alexander McQueen have all triggered public backlash for their conduct. Yet their creative standing remains largely secure.
Whether we’re talking fashion designers or artists, we suffer from an overwhelming tendency to place creatives on a pedestal. We admire Picasso while ignoring his misogyny; we celebrate Rodin while overlooking that he claimed credit for work largely shaped by his lover and collaborator, Camille Claudel; we study Degas, Renoir, and Cézanne despite their denigration of Jewish people; and we wrestle with Michael Jackson’s musical legacy in the shadow of pedophilia claims. Are some moral failings worse than others? How do we sit with these artists’ legacies? Do moral failings disqualify an artist from historical retrospective?
The missed opportunity of Horizons lies in how it chose to frame the designer. At the heart of this Costume Institute exhibition should not have been Galliano’s brilliance as a designer, because that is not in doubt; rather, it should have investigated the complex relationship between a creator, their industry, and their audience. An exploration of how creative trust is built, violated, and turned into commercial currency is an essential element to understanding modern culture.
While The Met’s leadership tries to move on from this drama, the fashion industry has already made its position clear. With Galliano debuting his first collection for Zara later this month and his final show for Maison Margiela still reverberating across social media, the question of his professional rehabilitation is moot. His antisemitic and anti-Asian hate crimes were shameful, and he should always be held accountable for his actions. But while the corporate retail market happily marches on, museums are left with a deeper, unresolved question: when an institution eventually finds the resolve to stage a Galliano retrospective, what story will they choose to tell—and will it be one that finally addresses the complex bond between a brilliant creator and the public that elevated him?
Model Chanel Iman for Christian Dior Haute Couture Fall 2009. Photo courtesy of Pascal Le Segretain.
