All The Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me

by Patrick Bringley Narrated by Patrick Bringley

Overview

A best book of the year from New York Public Library, NPR, the Financial Times, Book Riot, and the Sunday Times (London).

A fascinating, revelatory 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 glamorous fledgling career at The New Yorker, Patrick Bringley never thought 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 the reader's 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 a surprising, inspiring portrait of a great museum, its hidden treasures, and the people who make it tick, by one of its most intimate observers.

Editorial Reviews

Library Journal - Audio

06/10/2024

Bringley grew up near Chicago but fell in love with the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art at age 11. When the untimely death of his beloved brother Tom prompted him to leave his promising but unfulfilling job at the New Yorker, he became a guard at the museum and stayed for a decade. During those 10 years, Bringley worked his way through the museum's masterpieces, immersing himself in the art and the history surrounding him. His debut memoir focuses on art, his fellow guards (an incredibly diverse and interesting workforce), and the myriad of visitors he connected with along the way. Unfortunately, while Bringley is a beautiful writer, his narration skills are not as developed. Listeners will likely be moved by his occasionally passionate delivery but could be taken aback by his clipped and over-enunciated pronunciations. Even so, he ably reminds listeners of the wonders of art, history, and humanity. VERDICT Bringley brings emotional depth to his experiences, struggling to heal from his brother's death and immersing himself in the museum's beauty. Despite minor quibbles, this audio should find a welcome home in most audio collections.—Christa Van Herreweghe

FEBRUARY 2023 - AudioFile

With his engaging voice, Patrick Bringley takes the listener inside New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art in a uniquely personal way. Having been a museum guard for 10 years, he offers keenly detailed observations of visitors, his fellow guards, and the art itself. The former NEW YORKER staffer narrates his insightful and detailed memoir in a resonant voice with slightly clipped speech, switching to lively expression for dialogue with patrons and co-workers. Bringley came to his job while grieving the death of his brother, hoping to be surrounded by quiet beauty. He rambles back and forth between details of his own life and commentary on his relationships to works of art that especially speak to him. As a guard, he offered much more than the “don’t touch” that most visitors would expect. J.E.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

FEBRUARY 2023 - AudioFile

With his engaging voice, Patrick Bringley takes the listener inside New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art in a uniquely personal way. Having been a museum guard for 10 years, he offers keenly detailed observations of visitors, his fellow guards, and the art itself. The former NEW YORKER staffer narrates his insightful and detailed memoir in a resonant voice with slightly clipped speech, switching to lively expression for dialogue with patrons and co-workers. Bringley came to his job while grieving the death of his brother, hoping to be surrounded by quiet beauty. He rambles back and forth between details of his own life and commentary on his relationships to works of art that especially speak to him. As a guard, he offered much more than the “don’t touch” that most visitors would expect. J.E.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940178820438
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster
Publication date:	02/14/2023
Edition description:	Unabridged
Sales rank:	637,378

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