Add Page Six on Google The CEO of a Jewish civil rights and advocacy organization urged Met honchos to cancel the 2027 Gala’s John Galliano theme in a last-ditch crisis meeting, Page Six has exclusively learned.
Multiple sources told us Jonathan Greenblatt of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) had breakfast with Max Hollein, CEO of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a few weeks ago at the Loews Regency New York hotel.
At least one Met board member was also present, we’re told.
“[Greenblatt] was urging them to reverse the decision on the Galliano show,” one of our sources said, noting that while the eventual decision was the result of “a combination of things,” Greenblatt was “one of the loud voices from the Jewish community.”
A second source echoed the nature of the aforementioned “meeting,” saying Greenblatt was “pushing [them] to make the right decision.”
Reps for the Met, Vogue and ADL did not respond to Page Six’s request for comment.
Antisemitic hate crimes have remained a significant concern in New York City in recent years, consistently accounting for a disproportionate share of the city’s reported hate crimes.
The New York Times reported a meeting took place in May with Wintour, Andrew Bolton, Galliano and a handful of influential rabbis and Jewish leaders to get their thoughts on potential issues with the theme – as well as to possibly receive a blessing on the controversial idea.
Earlier on Monday, Galliano himself revealed he would no longer be honored at the annual Anna Wintour-helmed ball, which was met with much controversy when it was announced earlier this month.
“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,” the UK-born fashion designer, 65, wrote in a lengthy statement shared via Instagram.
He went on to explain, “I do 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. I also recognise [sic] and respect that an exhibition honouring [sic] my work would be painful for some.”
Galliano — who in 2010 and 2011 made antisemitic and racist remarks at a bar in Paris, for which he was later found guilty and sentenced to fines — continued, “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.
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“I understand that meaningful atonement is not achieved through an exhibition, institutional recognition or a single public gesture. It is a continuing responsibility, demonstrated through listening, learning and one’s conduct over time.”
Historically, the Met Gala takes place the first Monday of every May.
The “John Galliano: Horizons” exhibit, specifically, was set to fall on Yom HaShoah, also known as Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day.
The New York Times reported over the weekend that Met trustees and board members had been “scrambling to do damage control” and “mulling whether to move the date,” with donors “threatening to rescind gifts to the museum.”
Wintour, for her part, has commended Galliano’s “very courageous” decision, arguing that it indicates the “measure of the man he is.”
The Vogue figure went on to call it the “right decision,” adding that “both he and the Museum have my full support.”
Meanwhile, the Met said details of a new exhibition would be announced “at a later date.”
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