IFAR presents: Behind the Scenes of Art Museum Security and Theft
Tuesday, 18 August 2020
6:00 – 7:00 PM EDT
John Barelli, Ph.D., Former Chief Security Officer, Metropolitan Museum of Art
Author of: Stealing the Show: A History of Art and Crime in Six Thefts (2019)
Host / Moderator: Sharon Flescher, Ph.D.
Executive Director, International Foundation for Art Research (IFAR)
For close to 40 years – 30 as Chief Security Officer – John Barelli was responsible for the security of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the largest and most encyclopaedic art museum in the United States. During this time, there were only a few thefts, each one of which revealed a weakness in museum security and spurred new procedures or changes in installations. Security also involved protecting dignitaries, including the many heads of state, who visited the museum. Join us as Dr. Barelli shares some behind-the-scenes information involved in protecting the precious objects in the museum’s collection or lent to it for temporary exhibitions; the different types of security lapses – and thieves – he encountered; the changes in security and procedures over the years, including the increasing use of technology; and broader issues, such as, changing attitudes toward the publicising of art thefts and the carrying of weapons by guards.
This is a “virtual” IFAR Evening Zoom webinar. In this era of Covid-19, we have temporarily suspended in-person programming.
Please find more information on the website via this link: http://www.ifar.org/upcoming_event.php?docid=1595968714.
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