“Unveiling Hidden Depths: How Patrick Bringley’s ‘All the Beauty in the World’ Transforms Everyday Life into Extraordinary Art”
What I found particularly compelling was how Bringley gave life to art and art history with his reverential and accessible prose, highlighting the significance of creation, how it’s interwoven into the daily matrix of humanity. Never is the prose condescending or snobbish, but humbling and honest. Not only do readers learn about important art works, they also glean the sheer immensity of The Met.
Over the course of a decade of Bringley’s 8-12 hours shifts, readers and lead through the expansive museum, which he writes is, “about the size of 3,000 average New York City apartments and contains near two-million objects, only a fraction of which are shown at a time.” He leads us to the basement, where wooden crates hold paintings and antiquities, some of which never see the light of day. All told, the museum employes two thousand individuals ranging from custodians to curators, carpenters, lampers (those who check for and replace missing lights), riggers (statues and art works are heavy), handlers, and more. All told, The Met employees near-600 guards, some who work overnight shifts.
