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Millions of people a year visit New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art to view its vast collections spanning 5,000 years of history. For nearly four decades, keeping all the treasures secure, and those visitors safe, fell on John Barelli, former head of security at The Met. He spoke to Megan Thompson about his new book, "Stealing the Show: A History of Art and Crime in Six Thefts."
What's it like to be in charge of security at the Met Museum?
New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the world's largest and most celebrated art museums. The Met's vast collections span 5,000 years of history, its buildings are spread over 12 acres and it's visited by millions of people each year.
Keeping all the treasures secure — and all those visitors safe — is a monumental task. And for nearly 40 years, that job fell to John Barelli. In 2016, he retired as the head of security at The Met. During his career, he investigated missing artworks, dealt with pranksters like Banksy and oversaw a massive transformation of the technology and systems that keep the museum safe.
He details his extraordinary career in a new book, "Stealing the Show: A History of Art and Crime in Six Thefts."
NewsHour Weekend's Megan Thompson recently sat down with Barelli to learn more. Watch the full interview in the video player above.
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