Dana Thomas, author of Gods and Kings: The Rise and Fall of Alexander McQueen and John Galliano, already warned when The New York Times asked her about the exhibition the Met was dedicating to John Galliano: “I think it’s a terrible idea.” For Thomas, the sadly infamous antisemitic statements made by the designer in 2011—how could we forget the “I love Hitler” he said to a woman in a Paris bar—were not a slip or an anomaly, but an intrinsic part of behavior that lasted for years and that the public still has not forgiven him for.
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As proof, she recalls the case of a curator who tried for years to bring a Galliano retrospective to various American and European museums. He never succeeded. The answer was always the same: no. And behind that no, a reason that was repeated endlessly: “antisemitism.” The question then was inevitable: why should it be different now? And, above all, why would the most important museum in New York be willing to risk its prestige and moral authority?
Why would the Met be willing to risk its prestige and moral authority?
The answer points in only one direction: the all-powerful—or no longer so much—Anna Wintour. The co-chair and chief organizer of the Met gala was, for years, one of John Galliano’s great protectors. Her fascination with the ‘enfant terrible’ began when he was just a student at Central Saint Martins.
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After his graduation, Wintour helped him enter the closed circle of fashion, which later proved decisive for his professional consolidation. A role as ‘godmother’ that Wintour herself has proudly claimed, to the point of confessing that Galliano’s Fall-Winter 1994 show is her favorite collection of all time. She was also key in his comeback after his controversies, supporting him during his time at Oscar de la Renta and his signing with Maison Margiela.
