Patrick

Bringley

Writer of Nonfiction

Memoirist

Travels from: New York NY

“As rich in moving insights as the Met is in treasures, All the Beauty in the World reminds us of the importance of learning not “about art, but from it.” This is art appreciation at a profound level.” – NPR

Patrick Bringley worked for ten years as guard in the galleries of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. His memoir, All the Beauty in the World, has been recommended by the New York Times Book Review, the Washington Post Book World, NPR, the Associated Press, and elsewhere. Patrick has appeared on NPR Weekend Edition, WNYC, and CBS news, and has been interviewed by Vox, The New Yorker, the Christian Science Monitor, and other outlets. In late March, an interview filmed at the Met will air on Good Morning America. In the run up to his book’s publication, Patrick lead dozens of “insider’s” tours of the museum for a variety of clientele. Previously, he worked in the editorial events office of The New Yorker.

All The Beauty In The World

Simon & Schuster |

February 14, 2023

Nonfiction

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.

Grief & Loss, Male Author, Memoir & Biography, Nonfiction

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

Sacred Art at the Met: From the Pharaohs to the Old Masters.

In this illustrated lecture, Patrick travels over continents and across millennia, exploring sacred masterpieces that seem to transcend our ordinary, day-to-day world.

What the Old Masters Teach: Lessons about Life and Death in Art

Looking closely at masterpiece paintings, Patrick explores vital and resonant themes taken up time and again by great artists.

A Guard’s Guide of the Met: An Intimate, Illustrated Tour

With the aid of art slides and photographs, Patrick is your guide through the Met, shedding new light on familiar masterpieces and revealing secrets of its operation hidden in plain sight.

Alison Walton, Librarian – Hudson Library & Historical Society
“Our virtual program with Patrick Bringley was a crowd pleaser! We had over 200 patrons register to listen to his much-anticipated book talk. His personal insight and visually rich presentation were a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at his experience working at The Met. Following the program, the library has continued to receive positive feedback from viewers, “Thank you, Patrick, for this insightful perspective about art, life and our world. Profound thoughts.” Another viewer commented that “… [his] talk captured the mystery & beauty & quiet. I’ve always wondered what it would be like to be a guard!” Our library was delighted to host Patrick and look forward to forthcoming endeavors by this author.”

Sally Stieglitz, Communications and Outreach Coordinator – Long Island Library Resources Council
“Patrick Bringley’s virtual presentation on his recent book, All the Beauty in the World, was a delight. Our program for librarians was very highly rated in our post-event survey, with comments such as “fascinating,” ‘excellent,” and “outstanding.” Both a personal narrative and a behind the scenes glimpse at a world famous institution, All the Beauty in the World is an engaging book which appeals to a broad audience of readers.”

The Washington Post Book World
“Exquisite… A beautiful tale about beauty. It is also a tale about grief, balancing solitude and comradeship, and finding joy in both the exalted and the mundane.”

The New York Times Book Review
“All the Beauty in the World is an empathic chronicle of one museum, the works collected there and the people who keep it running — all recounted by an especially patient observer.”

The Guardian
“Consoling and beautiful”

The Associated Press
“Hauntingly beautiful… A work of art as luminous as the old master paintings that comforted him in his grief.”

NPR
“As rich in moving insights as the Met is in treasures, All the Beauty in the World reminds us of the importance of learning not “about art, but from it.” This is art appreciation at a profound level.”

Tracy Chevalier, author of Girl with a Pearl Earring
“This absorbing memoir is also a beautifully written manual on how to appreciate art, and life. It’s a must-read for art lovers”

Rumaan Alam, author of Leave the World Behind
“Patrick Bringley offers an intimate perspective on one of the world’s greatest institutions. But All the Beauty in the World is about much more: the strange human impulse to make art, the mystery of experience art, and what role art can play in our lives. What a gift.

Hope Jahren, author of Lab Girl and The Story of More
“This book makes me yearn to have Patrick Bringley at my side in every museum I will visit for the rest of my life. Having a copy of All the Beauty in the World in my purse will be the next best thing.

Misty M. – Museum Patron
“It was amazing to get an inside scoop on what it is like working in the museum and how you being around these amazing works for so long affects the way you view the art! Patrick also was very knowledgable about the history of the museum and taught a life-long New Yorker many new things!”

Kerry James Marshall, artist, Mastry retrospective at the Met
“Illuminating and transformative experiences shared by a guard from one of the world’s greatest museums.”

Robert M. – Museum Patron
“Patrick’s insightful tour of the Met provided a uniquely delightful experience. He has a comprehensive knowledge of the museum’s collections, and has a wealth of fun anecdotes about them. But a lot of tour guides can do that. What really distinguishes this tour is Patrick’s career as a guard. The in depth knowledge of how the museum works, and what it’s like to truly live with the art for years on end, made this tour a superb use of an afternoon. Highest possible recommendation.”

Alex Ross, New Yorker staff writer and author of The Rest is Noise
“An astounding book about an astounding place. All the Beauty in the World is at once a keenly intelligent examination of the power of art and a profoundly empathetic exploration of the workaday culture that makes art visible to all.”

Ciara C. – Museum Patron
“Patrick was so knowledgeable – not just about the inner workings of the Met, but the art he guarded. He was very funny & insightful and definitely got me thinking about the pieces we viewed in a new way. Can’t wait to read his book!”

An Insider’s Tour of the Met Museum

Patrick’s Website

Honors, Awards & Recognition

Earphones Award Winner from Audiofile for Patrick Bringley’s narration of ALL THE BEAUTY IN THE WORLD. Earphones Awards are for “truly exceptional titles that excel in narrative voice and style, characterizations, suitability to audio, and enhancement of the text.”