The show will go on

In 2016, John Barelli retired from his post as the chief security officer for the Metropolitan Museum of Art after close to four decades working for the largest cultural institution in the United States. Following his retirement, Barelli penned a biography in which he discusses his time at “the Met” via the stories of six major art heists that took place at the storied museum. But it was his work behind the scenes on 30 Met Galas that proved his most colourful, working with celebrities, royalty and heads of state. Here he reveals details of managing fashion’s night of nights and explains why he is confident the gala can be rescheduled for later this year.

I GOT TO the Met in 1978 but my first Met Gala was 1979. In 1986 I took over as chief security officer, so from 1986 to 2016 I was in charge of 30 Met Galas.

From 1973 to, I guess, the late 80s, the Gala wasteam. Then we were brought in for security.