John Galliano has withdrawn from his planned Costume Institute exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, abandoning a high-profile slot that had been scheduled to run alongside the 2027 Met Gala after sustained public and donor criticism of his past racist and antisemitic conduct.
The designer was convicted in France in 2011 of antisemitic and anti-Asian hate speech, and has previously expressed admiration for Hitler, facts that fuelled the backlash that led to his exit. The withdrawal leaves a notable gap in the Met's Costume Institute calendar and underlines the reputational risks institutions face when programming figures with inflammatory histories.
This week’s headlines extended beyond the Met. The National Park Service removed a 24-foot sculpture by the late Joel Shapiro from the grounds of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The British Museum hosted Palantir co-founder Peter Thiel for a VIP viewing of the Bayeux tapestry, a visit that drew concern among staff. Museums and cultural organizations also reacted to the news of Yayoi Kusama’s passing, posting tributes across social channels.
The art world saw more tangible breaches and losses: thieves stole a platinum and diamond necklace from the Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna, and demolitions at the Rike Park Music Theatre and Exhibition Hall in Tbilisi provoked outcry from local community members and the architects involved. Meanwhile a new New York exhibition celebrated Snoopy’s influence on art and fashion, and the Arts & Culture calendar noted awards and grants, including Mildred Howard receiving the Artists’ Legacy Foundation Award and new funding from the Anonymous Was A Woman Environmental Art Grants.
Discussion around the Metropolitan Museum’s forthcoming Krasner and Pollock exhibition also resurfaced questions about curatorial balance. Announcements prompted calls for greater recognition of Lee Krasner, after which commenters urged the museum to give her a solo presentation. The debate follows renewed attention to Krasner’s place in art history and the Pollock-Krasner legacy.
Amid these institutional flashpoints, artists and elder statespeople of painting kept offering simpler counsel. In an interview, 99-year-old Alex Katz advised, "Get outside yourself and move." That sentiment echoed in small urban moments reported this week, reminders of the everyday pleasures that often sit beside headline controversies. For now, the Met must fill a prominent hole in its 2027 programming while museums worldwide continue to navigate donor pressure, staff concern, and public scrutiny.
