All the Beauty in the World

The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me

By: Patrick Bringley

Narrated by: Patrick Bringley

New York Times bestseller

Named one of the best books of the year by the New York Public Library, the Financial Times, the New York Post, Book Riot, and the Sunday Times (London).

An “exquisite” (The Washington Post) “hauntingly beautiful” (Associated Press) portrait of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and its treasures by a former New Yorker staffer who spent a decade as a museum guard.

Millions of people climb the grand marble staircase to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art every year. But only a select few have unrestricted access to every nook and cranny. They’re the guards who roam unobtrusively in dark blue suits, keeping a watchful eye on the two million square foot treasure house. Caught up in his glamourous fledgling career at The New Yorker, Patrick Bringley never thought that he’d be one of them. Then his older brother was diagnosed with fatal cancer and he found himself needing to escape the mundane clamor of daily life. So he quit The New Yorker and sought solace in the most beautiful place he knew.

To his surprise and your delight, this temporary refuge becomes Bringley’s home away from home for a decade. We follow him as he guards delicate treasures from Egypt to Rome, strolls the labyrinths beneath the galleries, wears out nine pairs of company shoes, and marvels at the beautiful works in his care. Bringley enters the museum as a ghost, silent and almost invisible, but soon finds his voice and his tribe: the artworks and their creators and the lively subculture of museum guards—a gorgeous mosaic of artists, musicians, blue-collar stalwarts, immigrants, cutups, and dreamers. As his bonds with his colleagues and the art grow, he comes to understand how fortunate he is to be walled off in this little world, and how much it resembles the best aspects of the larger world to which he gradually, gratefully returns.

In the tradition of classic workplace memoirs like Lab Girl and Working Stiff, All the Beauty in the World is an “empathic” (The New York Times Book Review), “moving” (NPR), “consoling, and beautiful” (The Guardian) portrait of a great museum, its hidden treasures, and the people who make it tick, by one of its most intimate observers.

©2023 Patrick Bringley. All rights reserved. Illustrations by Maya McMahon. (P)2023 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

Deeply moving. Slow down. Loved it.

I have lived within 2 miles of the Met for 30 years and have only been less than 10 times. This book has made me see how much I miss rushing through my NY life.

Thank you for the beautiful respite from the ‘noise’

The reader’s voice bringing the author’s words to life carries awe and wonderings about meaning, artistry, the lives of all who created, ‘guarded’ and viewed an exhibit. Some of the pieces I’ve seen and could revisit in my mind…a gift. Thank you, Mr. Bringley, for sharing your words, thoughts, life and helping me to think beyond the art on the walls at any museum.

The Beauty of this Book

This is one of the most beautifully written memoirs I've ever experienced. Art tours and art history lectures could be based on this book, as well as grief healing therapy. The author's reading is appropriate in tone and pacing. My only reservation with the audio book is his speech articulation disorder, the guttural L. Like Tom Brokaw, it hasn't limited his success but if you are a speech therapist, it might grate your ears. Sorry Mr Bringley.

Sensationally unique and brilliant book

I had no idea what to expect when I first listened. This is the story of man in deep grief at his brother’s death who finds himself and a new life. Few of us can imagine the depths of the collections of the huge Metropolitan Museum of Art. The author is so brilliant a thinker and a writer that it all becomes a world we never knew no matter how many times we’ve visited. I will look at museum collections in an entirely different way and so will you!

Love for the Met, but so much more

This is a lovely book — loving for the magnificent museum that I love, but it’s so much more — our lives, with each other, and how art and awareness can make things sometimes a little better. Sometimes a lot better.

Good read

What a lovely story about transformation and grief. Wonderful to get a peek into the Metropolitan Museum of Art from behind the scenes and appreciate the beauty!

Cathartic journey of grief through art

Beautiful story, just not exactly what I was expecting. I did appreciate the author’s guide and experience through different exhibits. I’ll definitely be planning another trip to the met soon!

Touching personal story

Author finds solace and wisdom through art. The book lifted my spirits and brought a richness to art appreciation.

A beautiful reflection about life, loss and art.

I love the tone of the book and it’s way to reflect on many profound themes. Definitely recommend it.

Astounding and Delightful

This is a marvelous book. The writing is superb, and the descriptions of art breathtaking.

But it is also important as a layperson’s response to art and art institutions, and, as such, should be required reading for all museum curators, directors, and their trustees.