This week, we go to one of the world’s largest museums, so a former guard can teach us new ways to appreciate art. Patrick Bringley was a guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for a decade. He recently wrote a memoir about his time there titled All the Beauty in the World. He takes Lilah on a tour of the museum, and they explore how to appreciate the nuances of the space: everything from how lighting changes how loud people talk in a gallery, to why it is important to visit museums alone. How do you figure out if you like Van Gogh? Should you be asking that question in the first place?

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We love hearing from you. You can email us at ftweekendpodcast@ft.com. We’re on Twitter @ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.

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Links:

– Patrick Bringley’s memoir is called All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me

– The Water Lilies by Monet that Patrick and Lilah were looking at: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/437137

– A recent review of the current Met show of Van Gogh’s Cypresses, by Ariella Budick: https://on.ft.com/3qDrKRB

– An FT series on the world’s best house museums: https://on.ft.com/3KU6tdk

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Join us at the FT Weekend festival, on Saturday September 2 at Kenwood House in London. It’ll be a day of debates, tastings, Q&As and more. For £20 off your festival pass, use promo code FTWeekendPod here: http://ft.com/festival

Special FT subscription offers for Weekend listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/weekendpodcast.

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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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He spent 10 years in a museum. This is what he learned

Life and Art from FT Weekend

He spent 10 years in a museum. This is what he learned