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.

Simply Lovely

This was the most lovely book I've read in a long time. Bringley's willingness to be so vulnerable with his grief is admirable. Neither himself nor anyone in his life seemed to put him on a time table to getting over his brother's death. Having a mother who taught me the joys of art and museum going, the setting of the MET particularly spoke to me. Beautifully written and perfectly paced.

it has inspired me to go to the Met

I liked it. wished I could see the art, if there is a PDF like it says, can't find it, at least on the phone app. I'll definitely add the Met as a stop when I go to NYC now.

A Love Story to the Metropolitan Museum

Patrick Bringley's thoughtful, sensitive, informative, love letter to the Metropolitan Museum, entwined with the loss of his brother is written and read with honesty, compassion and passion,

I loved every minute of the book. I had listen to his last part describing what lasting feelings one can experience from all that a museum has to offer, is pure poetry.

I’ve just spent 10 years at the Met without ever stepping foot there

This was a great book and performed well by the author. The story was captivating, funny, and insightful. I loved hearing about Patrick’s point of view as he spent his time as a guard at the Met.

Inspiration to visit the MET

This audiobook serves as an inspiring invitation to explore the treasures of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, one of the world’s most esteemed cultural institutions. Through the writer’s vivid narrative, listeners are drawn into the unique experience of working in the presence of masterpieces from diverse cultures and time periods. The detailed descriptions not only bring these works to life but also illuminate the profound connections between art and history. Whether you’re a seasoned art enthusiast or a casual visitor, this audiobook will deepen your appreciation for the museum’s vast collections and inspire you to personally engage with the art that has shaped civilizations across the globe. It’s a powerful reminder of how art transcends boundaries, offering a window into the collective human experience.

You can see it

It’s just a lovely snap shot of what it’s like to be surrounded by so many beautiful things and discover them anwo every day. This book really does show you how to see art for the first time and for 100th time

Transforming

I hadn’t known what to expect when I began this audiobook. I had visited the Metropolitan Museum several times, each time feeling overwhelmed and in need of a more leisurely experience. Listening to the author unroll his personal and professional connection to the Mets many sections and individual works, gave me a feeling I’d never considered — envy for the men and women who spent their days, months, and years enveloped with art and artists of many ages, styles, and materials. Bravo!

This book offers thoughts from an ideal viewer

As an 80 year old woman who has lived a full life, loving, raising children, planting gardens, and devoting my work-life to teaching and creating art, reading All the Beauty in the World gave me a sense that, like painting, sculpting and creating, viewing the fruits of creative labor with profound insight takes time, energy, and focus. It helps to be wading through the requirements of life while in the presence of work, made by a person who is struggling with the same necessities, to see through the windows of art and get a sense of the larger whole of what it means to be alive..

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.