Who Cares About the Exhibit Behind the Met Gala?

When the annual parade of celebrities ascends the steps at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Monday night to mark the opening of “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion,” guests will have no indication that the elaborate exhibition they are about to see is a last-minute backup plan. As recently as summer 2023, head curator Andrew Bolton and his patron, Vogue’s Anna Wintour, intended instead to stage a show dedicated to the work of one of their favorite designers — John Galliano.