At Philly’s Barnes Foundation, the biggest art thieves can be smaller than your thumb

PHILADELPHIA — AnnaLivia McCarthy slowly strolled a dimly lit gallery at the Barnes Foundation on a recent afternoon, casting her flashlight across the surfaces of masterpieces. As the museum’s senior conservation coordinator, McCarthy was not merely appreciating priceless art — she was hunting pesky prey. Sneaky intruders who hide in shadows and make meals out of masterpieces. Moths, mostly. “Sometimes you can see their eyes under the light,” McCarthy said, raking soft light on Secrets (Confidence) or Inspiration, an exquisite tapestry designed by Pablo Picasso and woven by Atelier Delarbre. ...