All the Beauty in the World
All the Beauty in the World by Patrick Brinkley
Reviewed by Jonas Amir Smith
“Patrick Bringley’s All the Beauty in the World feels like getting a backstage pass to one of the coolest and most famous museums in the world, The Met.
Bringley leaves his, what some might call comfortable or cushy, job at The New Yorker to become a regular old guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art after his brother’s death.
Bringley shares a super personal and genuine look into his life among the art. Throughtout the book I realized how it’s so much more that guarding paintings, or making sure people don’t take photos / touch the artwork. It’s about finding a new way to cope with loss and discovering unexpected beauty in the day-to-day, and while it might not work for everybody, you see first hand how it works for him.
Through Bringley’s eyes, you get to experience the quiet magic of the Met. From the grandeur of the ancient sculptures to the secret corners most visitors miss, his stories are like snaphots of moments that make you think and feel, whether he is describing what seems to be a simple and slow day of watching over a gallery, or the constant reflection on how art connects us all.
The book blends the richness of this colorful world with deep, relatable life lessons. I think the reason why I connected with this book a lot is because it tells the story that many of us have felt where we have wandered through a museum and felt a kind of peaceful awe. It is a heartfelt tribute to finding peace, comfort and inspiration in the most unexpected places.”