All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me
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- Create Date：2023-02-26 10:22:04
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Patrick Bringley
- ISBN：B09JPKNG9X
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Renée
，
“I am sometimes not sure which is the most remarkable: that life lives up to great paintings， or that great paintings live up to life。”Oh how I love a beautiful cover。 😍When his older brother is diagnosed with a fatal cancer， Patrick Bringley takes a job as a security guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art。 This book is his memoir of the 10 years he spent there。 It is a slow paced book that I found fascinating。 A time of healing， friendships， contemplation， and reminiscence of all that is beaut “I am sometimes not sure which is the most remarkable: that life lives up to great paintings， or that great paintings live up to life。”Oh how I love a beautiful cover。 😍When his older brother is diagnosed with a fatal cancer， Patrick Bringley takes a job as a security guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art。 This book is his memoir of the 10 years he spent there。 It is a slow paced book that I found fascinating。 A time of healing， friendships， contemplation， and reminiscence of all that is beautiful in the world。 。。。more
Mary
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I wish there was more for me to read。 This was a beautiful book about "all the beauty in the world。" Bringley managed to tell the story of his grief over his brother's death， his work as a museum guard， his colleagues， and a bit of his family life--and also his joy in the art he lived with each day。 A bonus is the way of easily accessing the works he talks about by number on the Met website。The book ends with his last day of work and his deciding to lead tours in NYC so that he can have more tim I wish there was more for me to read。 This was a beautiful book about "all the beauty in the world。" Bringley managed to tell the story of his grief over his brother's death， his work as a museum guard， his colleagues， and a bit of his family life--and also his joy in the art he lived with each day。 A bonus is the way of easily accessing the works he talks about by number on the Met website。The book ends with his last day of work and his deciding to lead tours in NYC so that he can have more time with his family-not having to work weekends and school holidays。 And of course， then he had the time to write a book！ 。。。more
jalyn noel
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“All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me” is a memoir I’ll hold close to my heart for as long as I have a love for the world of art and everything that gives life meaning。 In his memoir， Patrick Bringley proposes the important question– Does life imitate art or does art imitate life？ The author worked for The New Yorker magazine， but after his brother passed， he joined the security staff of the Metropolitan Museum of Art。 Patrick illustrates how being surrounded by ar “All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me” is a memoir I’ll hold close to my heart for as long as I have a love for the world of art and everything that gives life meaning。 In his memoir， Patrick Bringley proposes the important question– Does life imitate art or does art imitate life？ The author worked for The New Yorker magazine， but after his brother passed， he joined the security staff of the Metropolitan Museum of Art。 Patrick illustrates how being surrounded by art transformed him from a simple， wide-eyed security man， to a heartful， intelligent and intuitive art student using the world as his professor。 He describes how the art moved him， healed him， and guided him through the tough lessons life demands we learn– like mourning the death of his brother and navigating his role as a husband and father。 Patrick embodies the heart of every person alive wondering why we are here and what purpose we serve in the lives of others。 This book stands out to all the art lovers who strive to keep the history and evidence of humanity alive in our hurting world。 。。。more
Mackay
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A lovely book about grief， art， work， and humanity。I didn't find the illustrations added much - mayhap that is the Kindle - but on the other hand， I didn't really need them， either。A quiet interlude， engaging and meaningful。 A lovely book about grief， art， work， and humanity。I didn't find the illustrations added much - mayhap that is the Kindle - but on the other hand， I didn't really need them， either。A quiet interlude， engaging and meaningful。 。。。more
Star Gater
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Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for accepting my request to read and review All the Beauty in the World。Published: 02/14/23This is an interesting take on a man who is a security guard at the The Metropolitan Museum of Art。 This book won't be for everyone; however it has a market。 I enjoyed the tidbits behind the scenes， his observations made of people， as well as his own growth。 I laughed when he called me out -- people won't touch paintings， but will open drawers; hey， that's me。 As th Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for accepting my request to read and review All the Beauty in the World。Published: 02/14/23This is an interesting take on a man who is a security guard at the The Metropolitan Museum of Art。 This book won't be for everyone; however it has a market。 I enjoyed the tidbits behind the scenes， his observations made of people， as well as his own growth。 I laughed when he called me out -- people won't touch paintings， but will open drawers; hey， that's me。 As the story went on I kept thinking about all the people who walked by him， didn't see him， and all the missed opportunities。 He is a wealth of information from basic trivia to the final Jeopardy answer。 This would be a grand gift for someone retiring。 This is definitely for smart people。 。。。more
Beck
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Reading Patrick Bringley’s “All The Beauty In The World - The Metropolitan Museum and Me，” was like visiting with a dear friend。 Having grown up in the hallowed halls of this beloved institution - and visiting to this day - I felt each piece of art he mentioned come to life in glorious detail。 I listened to the audiobook， so it was especially nice hearing Bringley describe his colleagues and the various galleries。 Without giving away exact details， I will just say that it was an honor to hear hi Reading Patrick Bringley’s “All The Beauty In The World - The Metropolitan Museum and Me，” was like visiting with a dear friend。 Having grown up in the hallowed halls of this beloved institution - and visiting to this day - I felt each piece of art he mentioned come to life in glorious detail。 I listened to the audiobook， so it was especially nice hearing Bringley describe his colleagues and the various galleries。 Without giving away exact details， I will just say that it was an honor to hear him talk about his own family， his own story。 I highly recommend this incredible book。 It is one I’ve shared with friends and family。 Enjoy！ 。。。more
Tracee
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"The paintings fly by like the pages of a flip-book， centuries rolling backward and forward， subject matter toggling between the sacred and profane， Spain becoming France becoming Holland becoming Italy。""In time， I develop a method for approaching a work of art。。。 The first step in any encounter with art is to do nothing， to just watch， giving your eye a chance to absorb all that's there。 We shouldn't think 'This is good，' or 'This is bad，'。。。Ideally， for the first minute we shouldn't think at "The paintings fly by like the pages of a flip-book， centuries rolling backward and forward， subject matter toggling between the sacred and profane， Spain becoming France becoming Holland becoming Italy。""In time， I develop a method for approaching a work of art。。。 The first step in any encounter with art is to do nothing， to just watch， giving your eye a chance to absorb all that's there。 We shouldn't think 'This is good，' or 'This is bad，'。。。Ideally， for the first minute we shouldn't think at all。 Art needs time to perform its work on us。""。。。I haven't always been quite fair to their beloved Impressionists， in particular to Claude Monet。 His pictures are so pretty， I've suspected this is all they are。 But then I remember the first step of looking at art， and I give them a chance。""。。。 in Monet's world there is no such thing as sunlight really， just color。 Monet has spread around thesunlight color like the goodly maker of his little universe。 He has spread it， splashed it， and affixed it to the canvas with such mastery that I can't put an end to its ceaseless shimmering。。。 it only grows more abundant; it won't conclude。Monet， I realize， has painted that aspect of the world that can't be domesticated by vision -what Emerson called the 'flash and sparkle' of it， in this case a million dappled reflections rocking and melting in the waves。 It is a kind of beauty that the old masters seldom could fit intotheir symbolic schemes， a beauty more chaotic and aflame than our tidying minds typically let us see。" 。。。more
Megan Prokott
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This was so sweet and great for art lovers。
Miriam
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A fascinating look at the Metropolitan Museum of Art through the eyes of a guard。 The author worked as a guard in the art galleries for ten years。 The writing is fluid as the author shares his observations about the art at the Met， the museum goers， the other guards and staff。It's an excellent addition to previous books about the museum by curators and directors。 The change in perspective from "art historian / expert" to "amateur" is refreshing。 The meditations on various pieces of art are inter A fascinating look at the Metropolitan Museum of Art through the eyes of a guard。 The author worked as a guard in the art galleries for ten years。 The writing is fluid as the author shares his observations about the art at the Met， the museum goers， the other guards and staff。It's an excellent addition to previous books about the museum by curators and directors。 The change in perspective from "art historian / expert" to "amateur" is refreshing。 The meditations on various pieces of art are interesting and insightful。The author shares what he studied about art， periods and regions of art， and about artists and craftsmen。 Drawings accompany the text。Best of all， it's a great way to remember all those wonderful visits to The Met。 Thanks to the BookLoft of German Village （Columbus， OH） http://www。bookloft。com for an ARC to read and review。 。。。more
Ratty Datty
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This was very lovely， heartfelt and inspiring。
Susie Schnall
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Loved listening to this book and hearing all about the author's experience。 Really enjoyed！！ Loved listening to this book and hearing all about the author's experience。 Really enjoyed！！ 。。。more
John
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（2。5）The description sounded compelling—I love the Met， I love art-tinged， grief-adjacent memoirs—but this is pretty uninteresting。
Michelle
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This was so， so beautiful。 I thought I would love it as soon as I heard about it--and I was right。 This author worked as a guard at the Met for 10 years after the death of his brother upended his world， and beautifully describes his experiences with the art he saw daily。 Gorgeous and highly recommended！
Mallory
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After visiting The MET for the first time this year， I enjoyed hearing a first hand account of someone who loves the museum and enjoys being around all the beautiful artwork。 🖼️
Jennifer
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Patrick Bingley got to hang out with some of the greatest art from across centuries and because of his book， we are the beneficiaries。While he doesn't always make the connection explicit， the death of Patrick's brother， Tom， is somewhat related to both his taking the job and his reflections as he rotates through the galleries。 Even when he chooses his favorite painting on his last day as a guard， part of his judgement is based on the fact that the painting reminds him if his brother。But this is Patrick Bingley got to hang out with some of the greatest art from across centuries and because of his book， we are the beneficiaries。While he doesn't always make the connection explicit， the death of Patrick's brother， Tom， is somewhat related to both his taking the job and his reflections as he rotates through the galleries。 Even when he chooses his favorite painting on his last day as a guard， part of his judgement is based on the fact that the painting reminds him if his brother。But this is not a memoir of grief。 Standing his 8-12 hour shifts， Bingley reflects on great art， from ancient Greek sculpture to the modern quilts if Gee's Bend。 He writes about the people who come through the galleries and the people who guard them with respect and affection。The book demands that you have a way to look up images of the art he describes and will create a desire to visit the Met itself to stand where the author stood and see the museum in a new way。 。。。more
Tony
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A wonderfully contemplative memoir on art and what it is to be human from a person whose life takes an unexpected turn amidst their grief。
Sheila McCarthy
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A well-written but brief book。 I think some will wish that the author had spent more time discussing his family or had included more anecdotes about his time at the MMA。 But I think the author created the book he wanted: a meditation on beauty， love and loss。
Samantha
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I’ll preface this review by saying that I’m generally not a fan of memoirs and if you are， you might like this better than I did。 I picked this up in spite of an aversion to the genre because I’m a lover of art with a couple of degrees in Art History， and thought it might be a fun insiders tour of The Met。 Unfortunately， it’s not。What I had hoped for from this book was fun behind the scenes Met content， little known or lesser known information about the collection， or interesting museum security I’ll preface this review by saying that I’m generally not a fan of memoirs and if you are， you might like this better than I did。 I picked this up in spite of an aversion to the genre because I’m a lover of art with a couple of degrees in Art History， and thought it might be a fun insiders tour of The Met。 Unfortunately， it’s not。What I had hoped for from this book was fun behind the scenes Met content， little known or lesser known information about the collection， or interesting museum security protocol。 Instead， this is largely the personal memoir of a guard， and is more about his personal life and how that relates to his museum job than about the museum itself。 I have also （briefly） had the job of a museum guard。 For me it was a part time gig during college to earn some pocket money and done with the hope of the opportunity to do a bit of networking with the museum’s more academic employees。 To be blunt， the job was dead boring。 It’s unchallenging intellectually and has little to do with art， and that makes a memoirist who loves the gig difficult to relate to。 Bringley came to this job by choice rather than personal limitations。 He’s a smart and capable writer who clearly has an above average knowledge of art for a guard and plenty of education to take on different work。 His own life made this type of job more attractive to him than one in a more ambitious sector of the field， and that’s fine for him， but it’s a bit hard to relate to if you are an ambitious person and someone who craves intellectual stimulation in your profession。 The author has found a way to make the job meaningful and scintillating for himself （he’s far more interested in people watching and informally chatting with strangers than I）。 Again， this is fine because， You Do You and all， but it’s not exactly worthy of a book， and of no real interest to those who might consider a book like this because they have more than a passing interest in art。Bringley seems like a lovely person and I’m glad he’s found happiness， but his story just isn’t one that is unique or necessarily of interest to the general reading public or to lovers of art or Met enthusiasts。*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。* 。。。more
Marta Misleh
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Everything was beautiful about this book！ Character was able to deacon the museum so well that you felt you were visiting！ Now I’m planning a trip to the Met！！ Slow but so perfect！ From sadness to beauty to life。
Emiley M。
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Former New Yorker staffer turned museum guard Patrick Bringley reveals another side to New York's famous museum in， All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me。 Bringley provides a unique and intimate look at the museum's history and treasures 。 It is both a captivating and insightful behind-the-scenes glimpse into one of the world's most inspiring museums。At its core， this is a fascinating look at the power of art to inspire， challenge， and transform us。 Sharing amazing s Former New Yorker staffer turned museum guard Patrick Bringley reveals another side to New York's famous museum in， All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me。 Bringley provides a unique and intimate look at the museum's history and treasures 。 It is both a captivating and insightful behind-the-scenes glimpse into one of the world's most inspiring museums。At its core， this is a fascinating look at the power of art to inspire， challenge， and transform us。 Sharing amazing stories and illustrations throughout the pages， Bringley's love and reverence for the museum and its collection are evident on every page。 He is a master at taking readers on a journey through the many spaces and galleries in the museum， highlighting the works that have most deeply touched and moved him。This beautifully written memoir is a must-read for anyone interested in art， culture， and history。 。。。more
Joyce Schiff
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Unique insight into the life of a guard at the museum。 Fascinating revelation of who they are and the incredible experience they have。 The memoir portion。 Of the book adds to the definitiopth of understanding of his life。。。。
Fredrik deBoer
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Three and a half stars。Some years ago I read a book called Making Rent in Bed-Stuy by Brandon Harris。 It’s one of those quintessential first-book essay collections， of the type where the titular theme of the book is effectively explored and then a set of mostly-unrelated essays is wedged in to make the project book-length。 My Goodreads review read “When it’s about making rent in Bed-Stuy， it’s good。 When it isn't， it’s。。。 less。” I did think there was a lot of good in the book， but I had to sift Three and a half stars。Some years ago I read a book called Making Rent in Bed-Stuy by Brandon Harris。 It’s one of those quintessential first-book essay collections， of the type where the titular theme of the book is effectively explored and then a set of mostly-unrelated essays is wedged in to make the project book-length。 My Goodreads review read “When it’s about making rent in Bed-Stuy， it’s good。 When it isn't， it’s。。。 less。” I did think there was a lot of good in the book， but I had to sift too much to find it。 It’s a problem common to a lot of nonfiction， especially that which has a memoiristic bent - maintaining focus when the dictates of publishing so often prioritize padding。 I thought of this issue more than once when reading Patrick Bringley’s new book All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me。 Happily， he mostly succeeds where many others have failed。Bringley’s book， his first， tells the story of his ten years as a guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art， what it was like holding down that job and what he learned about the Met and its collection。 That’s enough to hook me; I love art museums in general， even though I’m not the most educated art fan， and the Met is an institution I love， one I visited at least monthly for the first four years I lived in New York City。 I’m the target demographic， here， an easy sell， and unsurprisingly I enjoyed my time with the book。The fundamental appeal of this book is Bringley’s unusual level of access to the museum and the stories he accumulated in his decade there。 This is fun on a variety of levels。 One level is simply an intimate look at an institution that many people have affection for but few understand on a logistical level。 There’s a lot of pure behind-the-scenes， here’s-how-it-really-works information about how an immense and hugely popular art museum operates。 This is obviously limited to a guard’s perspective， but that’s a useful and unique point of view of the museum。 Bringley takes a lot of care to flesh out the personalities of his fellow guards， which is essential for the flavor of the book， and there’s quite a bit about the many colorful characters he met among the museum’s visitors。 （This is the kind of book you read for the anecdotes。） Another level on which the text operates is as a series of ruminations on art， its creation， and its appreciation。 There’s tons of little tidbits， pieces of artistic trivia that I didn’t know before reading， and I appreciate the amount of research at play here。 Bringley shares which art was his favorite， what different galleries inspired in him， and how being a guard changed and deepened his attitude toward visual art。 And he does it well。 The value proposition of this book is obvious， and at those fundamental tasks - teaching the reader about the operations of the Met and about its art - it clearly succeeds。The question of padding presents itself， but as I suggested， these fears mostly go unrealized。 Early on， I was worried that the book had a What It’s Really About problem。 Bringley writes movingly about losing his brother Tom to cancer， an event which helped inspire him to leave a low-level position at the New Yorker and take up his post at the Met。 I am， obviously， not callous enough to ding a book or its author for writing about the death of a loved one。 And I recognize that a brother dying from cancer is an entirely appropriate thing to write about in a book。 My concern lay in the fact that many nonfiction books， again especially those that are structured as memoir， tend to become preoccupied with What It’s Really About， personal stories that take us away from the book’s specific subject matter。 It sounds cruel to complain about the various tales of woe that these books delve into， but the point is not that these stories aren’t important or even that they’re poorly written; the problem is that these personal stories are inevitably less arresting than the subject matter we signed up for。 The balance is everything， and many books don't get it right。 （I read a book about the American bison once that had a big What It’s Really About problem。） In the first several chapters of All the Beauty in the World， I became concerned that the story of Tom’s cancer would eat the book， that stories about the museum would end up leading inevitably back to that personal tragedy。But the book ultimately handles its connection with Bringley’s brother’s death deftly。 It feels ghoulish to critique authors writing about personal tragedy， but doing so effectively is very hard; no matter what the particulars， the type of suffering the writer endured has no doubt been explored many times before。 An author often has to write with exquisite care to create new insight and inspire the intended emotions。 Bringley’s discussion of his brother’s illness is workmanlike and effective， sufficiently fleshed out to be moving while appropriately brief for a book about something else。 A potential weakness becomes one of the book’s strengths。What’s harder to shake is when Bringley’s reach exceeds his grasp。 All the Beauty of the World has a bit of an overwriting problem。 Typically， his prose is a strength， and I have few complaints about the book’s style。 But fairly often， Bringley stretches for an image or a metaphor and can’t quite pull it off。 I get it: these paintings and sculptures are works of immense beauty， and they inspire us to express feelings that are difficult to express。 Ordinary language feels insufficient to the task。 But these are the most dangerous situations writers find themselves in， precisely when we most want to find the words to convey intense emotions。 And at times， Bringley falters， producing passages that sound to me like a chord played on a guitar where the high E string is tuned a half-step too sharp。Here’s a passage where he’s a bit over his skis。When I’m posted among the knights in shining armor， as the kids say， I find myself occasionally horrified by what these hollow men， mounted on dummy horses， represent。 Certainly， the workmanship on some of the etched， embossed， blued， and silvered steel suits is astounding。 And I’m happy answering questions about the rules of jousts and how much this or that weighs。 But I can’t help reading personalities into suits of armors I know increasingly well， and many are nightmarish。 The typical tournament helm gives the appearance of an ogreish creature with an enormous， jutting jaw and squinty slit-like eyes。 Imagining its wearer in motion， I see a stupid， lead-footed killing machine， his erstwhile kouros-esque body made as tanklike as possible。 The most brutish face belongs to the helm of Sir Giles， who engaged in foot combat （the organized clubbing of opponents） at the famous Field of the Cloth of Gold of 1520。 Bereft of ornamentation， it is entirely without identifiable humanoid features， a grid of tiny punctures the only thing allowing Sir Giles to （I assume barely） see and breathe。 The most terrifying aspect of it， though， is its cold hard honesty。 It is nothing but a huge hollow heavy metal orb to protect your skull as you bash someone else’s head in。 Problems abound here。 I hate the sudden shift from the third-person description of Sir Giles to the second person in the final sentence。 The tournament helms are bereft of humanoid features， but one is called a face， leading me to question what features Bringley is referring to。 Then again， faces are in fact not really humanoid at all， as “humanoid” mostly implies bipedalism and other aspects of the overall human form， not the specific details of the human face， so the term is inapt altogether。 I’m not sure if “squinty slit-like” is a redundancy or an oxymoron， but either way the combination does not convey whatever Bringley is intending。 “（I assume barely）” is both inartful and ruins the rhythm of its line。 I cannot possibly reconcile the idea of an ogreish， tanklike， stupid， lead-footed figure that is nevertheless a killing machine - when discussed as abstractions， machines， necessarily， are efficient。 （Efficiency is perhaps the key descriptive implication of “killing machine。”） But the overall problem is that while the steady accumulation of many descriptive adjectives can have a powerful effect when used wisely， the technique is not used wisely here， and the result is a clashing mess of terms。 “The etched， embossed， blued， and silvered steel suits” is a phrase I could have done without; the terms feel to be too in tension with each other to congeal into a clear description。 Overall， the impression is of someone who has not taken too little time to write this paragraph， but too much; this reads like a passage that was repetitively picked over by a writer who was lacking in confidence， a practice that can have the same negative effect as over-rehearsing a conversation in your head before you have it。 There are too many similar passages to ignore。But the book’s heart remains firmly in the right place。 As you might imagine， All the Beauty in the World filled me with both inspiration regarding the world’s storehouse of great artwork and an intense desire to visit the Met。 Its artfully-lazy considerations of art and its meaning serve as a book-length advertisement for reconnecting with the visual arts。 The museum should hand out copies。 Bringley makes this endorsement explicit at the end of the book:Come in the morning if you can， when the museum is the quietest， and at first say nothing to anyone， not even a guard。 Look at artworks with wide， patient， receptive eyes， and give yourself time to discover details as well as their overall presence， their wholeness。 You may not have words to describe your sensations， but try to notice them anyway。 Hopefully， in the silence and the stillness， you’ll experience something uncommon or unexpected。 Couldn’t have said it better myself。 。。。more
Homerun2
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3。75 starsA brief but lovely and odd little book， part memoir， part workplace bio， with a bit of visceral art appreciation thrown in。The author gave up a career at the New Yorker doing promotion and events after his older brother died of cancer in his 20s。 Bringley was deeply grieving and just couldn't continue life in the cubicle world。 He needed to be around beauty and quiet and physical space so he became a security guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art。During the course of his ten year car 3。75 starsA brief but lovely and odd little book， part memoir， part workplace bio， with a bit of visceral art appreciation thrown in。The author gave up a career at the New Yorker doing promotion and events after his older brother died of cancer in his 20s。 Bringley was deeply grieving and just couldn't continue life in the cubicle world。 He needed to be around beauty and quiet and physical space so he became a security guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art。During the course of his ten year career there， he did heal and did a lot of philosophizing and interacting with the amazing art there。 His writing style is interesting and descriptive and his thought processes about the masterpieces he is viewing even more so。This was an unusual and welcome read。I received an advance review copy for free， and I am leaving this review voluntarily。 。。。more
Jeanne
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