François Picard is pleased to welcome Dana Thomas, author of "Gods and Kings: The Rise and Fall of Alexander McQueen and John Galliano" and the New York Times bestseller "Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster". The fiery controversy surrounding the Met’s now-cancelled John Galliano retrospective "Horizons" revives the timeless debate over whether we can separate the art from the artist. But our guest argues that the central issue is one of institutional power, with the art itself almost relegated to an afterthought. From her perspective, Galliano’s stature as an artist and fashion designer was never in dispute. His character, however, is once again being called into question in a very public arena.
A retrospective at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art does more than examine an artist’s legacy: it confers prestige and historical legitimacy. In this case, it would also have given its living subject a key role in shaping the homage to his own life and legacy. Against a backdrop of renewed scrutiny of Galliano’s past racist, anti-Semitic and misogynistic tirades, Thomas argues that such an exhibition cannot be treated as culturally neutral.
