All the Beauty in the World

Who would have thought that the outstanding art book of the year would be written not by a curator or an art historian or even an artist – but by a museum guard? * Sunday Times, Art Book of the Year *Greek vases, an Iroquois turtle rattle, Picassos. His every word about them is illuminating. The big picture is art’s power to console and unite * Financial Times Best Books of 2023 *Consoling and beautiful * Guardian *Hauntingly beautiful … elegant … a work of art as luminous as the old masters’ paintings that comforted [Bringley] in his grief * Daily Mail Online *Bringley is a marvellous guide … All the Beauty in the World succeeds joyously * Daily Telegraph *Told with real literary gusto and an impressive command of pace and shape. After finishing this book, plenty of sensitive readers will be desperate to become museum guards * Sunday Times *An uplifting memoir that recalls his time behind the scenes there with colour, pathos and flair * Mail on Sunday *I loved Bringley’s book. It taught me how to get more out of museums, how to pay attention, and how to think differently about time * Financial Times *This absorbing memoir is also a beautifully written manual on how to appreciate art, and life. It’s a must read for art lovers * Tracy Chevalier, author of Girl with a Pearl Earring *Wonderful. If you have ever been to a museum and stood motionless before an exhibit, if you’ve ever looked at a painting and found yourself crying, if you have ever wondered how a sculptor could find a human body inside a block of stone, this book is for you * Natalie Haynes, author of A Thousand Ships *

Patrick Bringley worked for ten years as a guard in the galleries of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Previously, he worked in the editorial events office at the New Yorker magazine. He lectures widely at museums and leads public and private tours of the Met. He lives with his wife and children in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. All the Beauty in the World is his first book.