The Art Angle Podcast: A Security Guard’s Love Letter to the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Welcome to the Art Angle, a podcast from Artnet News that delves into the places where the art world meets the real world, bringing each week’s biggest story down to earth. Join us every week for an in-depth look at what matters most in museums, the art market, and much more, with input from our own writers and editors, as well as artists, curators, and other top experts in the field.

It’s every art lovers dream. To be alone, after hours, inside one of the world’s most august art museums. Away from the throngs of selfie-stick-wielding tourists and the din of the crowd, it’s just you and the masterpieces.

That dream was a reality for the ten years that author Patrick Bringley spent as a guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and he’s sharing that experience (and a lot more) in his new book. Titled , the book chronicles the daily realities of working at one of the most popular and busiest institutions in the world, and is also a deeply personal story and love letter to the Met.

From getting to know virtually every corner of the sprawling institution, having a front-row seat to the installation and display of the world’s premiere art collection, to learning to identify and commune with all types of visitors, and forging relationships with the tribe of fellow blue-suited guards he came to know and love.

This week on the podcast, Bringley speaks candidly with senior market reporter Eileen Kinsella about how his time at the museum intertwined with his personal life, starting with the tragic loss of older brother to cancer, and ultimately finding love and starting a family, all against the backdrop of his second home at the museum.