The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by Michael Finkel

The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession Reviews

• 
  Carolyn Walsh

  My Recommendation
  This was an incredible true story about the most prolific and brazen art thief in history. Between 1995 and 2001, Stephane Breitiviser is said to have stolen 239 valuable/priceless works of art from 172 museums, cathedrals and castles all over Europe. The author, Michael Finkel, extensively and meticulously researched his life, psychological theories about his mental and emotional state, personality, enablers, police investigations, and court cases. Many involved in the case, including Stephane himself, were interviewed.
  
  Stephane considered himself superior to other art thieves as he never stole for profit. He felt the art was better cared for 'under his ownership' than in museums. While viewing specific works of art, he was overcome by aesthetic adoration and an obsession to have the treasure for himself to revel in its beauty. He was assisted by his long-time girlfriend, Anna-Katherine Kleinklaus, who frequently accompanied him and served as a lookout when he committed a burglary. He carefully removed desired objects using merely a Swiss Army knife, and the robberies were committed in daylight hours. Art objects he brazenly stole included paintings, sculptures, antique weapons, dishes, and decorative containers. He wanted to feel the joy of owning the object and the thrill of acquiring it.
  
  He hoarded all the stolen works of art in two rooms in his mother's attic, where he lived with Anna-Katherine. All available spaces were decorated with his ill-gained treasures. He deluded himself into thinking that his mother thought he was carrying in cheap art acquired at flea markets while his mother denied seeing anything. Items estimated at between one and two billion dollars were displayed for the couple's pleasure. He was arrested, eventually confessed, and showed an encyclopedic memory of everything he stole and where he acquired all the items. He was sentenced to three years in prison and served twenty-nine months. (2015). During the trial, Anna-Katherine expressed a strong dislike for him and denied helping him.
  
  Stephane's mother, his estranged father, and grandparents were strangely tolerant of his crimes. He had been spoiled, enabled, indulged, and felt entitled. His mother provided him and his girlfriend with living space in her home and later apartments, groceries, several cars and even gas money. After Anna-Katherine abandoned him, his mother found him a new girlfriend, Stephanie, and he moved into her apartment. He lived off Stephanie, his mother, and government assistance.
  
  In 2009, he had the impulse to shoplift designer clothes and then a valuable painting estimated worth $50 million. Much to his surprise, Stephanie kicked him out of her apartment and notified the police. While he was in prison again, his enraged mother threw all the gold, silver, and ivory artwork into the Rhine. They are recovered from the mud, restored, and returned for display. Sadly, all the paintings and wood carvings were believed to be burned in the forest, a shocking and tragic loss of culture and art.
  
  In 2016, badly in need of money, he went against all his stated principles, went on a robbery spree, and sold his accumulated valuables on eBay and other internet sites. Almost 200,000 dollars he had gained was recovered, and he was sentenced to prison again in 2019.
  
  This fast-paced, gripping story is highly recommended for art lovers and true crime readers. Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada (Knopf Canada) for this compelling
  book. Publication is set for June 27.
• 
  Krista

  When Breitwieser is not in bed, he dotes like a butler on the works in his rooms, monitoring temperature and humidity, light and dust. His pieces are kept in better condition, he says, than they were in museums. Lumping him in with the savages is cruel and unfair. Instead of an art thief, Breitwieser prefers to be thought of as an art collector with an unorthodox acquisition style. Or, if you will, he’d like to be called an art liberator.

  
  With more than two hundred heists pulled off over seven countries, stealing some three hundred works of art worth upwards of two billion dollars which he then stashed in his attic rooms in his mother’s house, Stephane Brietwieser — averaging a theft every twelve days for over seven years — is considered the most prolific art thief of all time. Starting as a young man, often accompanied by his live-in girlfriend and accomplice, Anne-Catherine Kleinklaus, Brietwieser was such as aesthete, such a studied connoisseur, that when he would spot a work of art — whether a silver cup or smallish Renaissance oil painting — that struck him helpless with a coup de coeur, he would calmly liberate that object (whether from its frame or its locked display case), disguise it on his person, and walk out the door of the museum, church, or gallery that he had been visiting. This sounds like it could be a thrilling tale of crime and punishment — and as journalist Michael Finkel was given unprecedented access to Brietwieser in order to tell his story, I expected him to give us a colourful antihero story as he did with
  The Stranger in the Woods — but
  The Art Thief didn’t really take off for me. The thefts, investigation, and subsequent trials are recounted matter-of-factly, Finkel pads out the story with some interesting enough research, and although I had never heard of Brietwieser before, I’m left thinking there’s no particular reason I needed to learn of him. Not a bad read at all, but not a necessary one either. (Note: I read an ARC through NetGalley and passages quoted may not be in their final form.)
  
  

  Anne-Catherine would never consider stealing without Breitwieser present. Her eyes are usually difficult to read. She seldom touches a piece before it leaves the museum. He’ll use her purse maybe one theft in ten. She is not exactly a thief, but she’s not not a thief either. She’s more like a magician’s assistant, hovering in the background during a trick, making sure the overly curious are gently diverted. She also reins in, when necessary, her boyfriend’s exuberance, and occasionally aids him.

  
  Anne-Catherine and Brietwieser’s mother, Mireille Stengel, have the more interesting stories to me — it’s one thing to be a sociopathic art thief; a rather different thing to love one and risk prosecution for abetting him — but as neither of the women has ever consented to an interview, Finkel needed to rely on court records and Brietwieser’s own slippery word to form a picture of the women in his life, and it doesn’t amount to much. (Stengel in particular has a fascinating role in the story’s aftermath but the details can only be guessed at.) Finkel does attempt to learn where Brietwieser’s compulsion came from (after a childhood of privilege, his parents’ divorce saw his father move away with all the beautiful family heirlooms; court psychologists diagnosed Brietwieser as narcissistic and immature), and throughout, Finkel shares his related research, as in:
  
  

  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Or maybe not. In 2011, Semir Zeki, a professor of neuroscience at University College London, used MRI scanners to track neural activity in the brain, deciphering the power of attraction. He discovered the exact place, he announced, from which all aesthetic reactions flow — a pea-sized lobe located behind the eyes. Beauty, to be unpoetic but precise, is in the medial orbital-frontal cortex of the beholder.

  
  And:
  
  

  Directors of small-budget museums don’t like to talk about security, but these institutions, rather than allocating funds for the latest protection measures, such as tracking devices as thin as threads that can be sewn into canvases, instead almost always opt to acquire more art. New works, not better security, draw crowds.

  
  Breitwieser is unique in the world of art thieves in that he stole in order to own; never did he try to ransom or fence a work of art, and as his two small attic rooms became cluttered with stacks and piles, he was still able to convince himself that he was honouring these pieces more than their former curators had. There’s a fascinating story in that, and I’m not sure Finkel totally uncovered it.
  
  

  The story of art, Breitwieser says, is a story of stealing. Egyptian papyri from the early written age decry the menace of tomb raiders. The Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II, in 586 BC, hauled off from Jerusalem the Ark of the Covenant. The Persians plundered the Babylonians, the Greeks raided the Persians, the Romans robbed the Greeks. The Vandals binged on the riches of Rome…Each pilfered work represents another reason he steals, Breitwieser says, and everyone in the art world is a thief in some way. If he doesn’t get what he wants, he expects others will. Some grab works by wiring cash to a dealer; he acquires pieces with a Swiss Army knife. At the very least, he’s a formidable rogue in the art world’s eternal den of iniquity. And perhaps when all is said and done, this is his dream, he will be written into the story of art as a hero.

  
  
• 
  Michael Finkel

  Dear Goodreads Community:
  
  Though "The Art Thief" is a rather short book (just over 200 pages), I worked on the project for more than 11 years, trying to make sure that everything in this wild and unpredictable tale is true - and also, to the best of my abilities, entertaining to read.
  
  The art thief himself, Stéphane Breitwieser, granted me dozens of hours of exclusive interviews, and even visited a couple of museums with me. It was a bizarre experience, to say the least, to tour an art museum with one of the world's greatest art thieves.
  
  I respect all of the reviews here (well, almost all), and I hope that the art thief's incredible crime spree, and his equally spectacular crash, capture your interest. My time with Breitwieser changed the way I experience museums and absorb works of art, and I expect that the same effects may happen to you as you wind your way through the book.
  
  Yours,
  Mike Finkel
  
  PS: Since you made it down this far, I'll admit which is my personal favorite line in the book: "When you wear your heart on your sleeve, it's exposed to the elements." (p.74)
• 
  Sue

  Michael Finkel has written one of the more unusual true crime books in producing this tome outlining the criminal career of Stephane Breitwieser, a French man from the Alsace region who has one, possibly two, true loves in his life. His primary love is art, works of art, precious works of art of the primarily 17th century. His second love is the young woman who accompanies him during many of his exploits—a compulsive career of art theft solely for his personal pleasure.
  
  In sections that occasionally made me squirm with discomfort, the reader accompanies Stephane on some of his “missions”, for they feel like tasks he is compelled to perform. The author presents this story from multiple perspectives: from that of Stephane Breitwieser, from the views of various psychiatrists and psychologists who have attempted to analyze him and his need for works of art, from the viewpoints of the police departments who eventually discovered and stopped him. It’s estimated that he probably stole more than 300 objects, all to keep and enjoy, all from small museums throughout Europe.
  
  After that beginning, where we live with this man as he travels and commits his crimes (or “liberations”), the story grows increasingly complex and interesting as it opens up more facets of the story, the people and the eventual chase. I think that I found the beginning section unsettling because it was presented with no counter, no evidence of any price to be paid and, indeed, there wasn’t one for some time.
  
  I do recommend this book to true crime enthusiasts, especially those interested in art crime and psychology.
  
  
  Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a preview copy of this book. The review is my own.
• 
  Jax

  It would be reasonable to assume that art thieves steal for financial gain. Maybe sell their haul to disreputable dealers or collectors for quick cash, seek a ransom for its safe return, or use the pieces as collateral for the illegal drug and gun trades. That’s the sort of scenarios police expect. After all, who would steal irreplaceable and breathtakingly expensive works of art for the sheer pleasure of sharing private space with them? It would be even stranger if a thief had no desire to monetize a two billion dollar collection, even if that person is an unemployed freeloader living in his mother’s attic.
  
  When Stéphane Breitwieser sees a work of art that causes a sensation to thunder through him—a coup de coeur—he cannot rest until he possesses it. Why should he deny himself something that stirs him so deeply? He did not resist the first time he was moved in this way and successfully stole an early eighteenth century flintlock pistol. The whipsaw between terror and joy had him hooked. Stéphane found he had a special talent for stealing, and he did so at a breathtaking pace. He will gorge himself on art in his tiny attic kingdom with his love and accomplice Anne-Catherine at his side, the one who will provide ballast to his fanaticism.
  
  This book is about art, yes. But it is also about a man who grew to be a larger version of an indulgent, spoiled boy, enabled by a family who wanted to show love but not the tough kind. He is compulsive yet disciplined in collecting, a love of antiquity that has an endearing foundation. This is a study of untreated mental health issues; the sad story of a man with holes in a psyche he cannot fill, despite his staggering success at trying.
  
  I did not expect to read this so quickly, but I was unable to put it down.
  
  This book is scheduled for release June 27, 2023
  
  My gratitude to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor and NetGalley for providing this eARC.
• 
  Natalie M

  Compelling compulsions never to be conquered!
  
  The true story of the most successful art thief in history (Stephane Breitwiesser) is well laid out and narrated in the audiobook version. I know nothing about art but that was not an issue, but I’m sure art aficionados would appreciate it more. Breitwiesser is truly a talented thief and the sheer audacity of his crimes makes it worth your time.
  
  Certainly, one of the least likeable criminals I’ve come across (and he’s not even fictional), and to think he is now only 52 (2023). I wouldn’t even let Breitwiesser attend a school art show if I knew he was in the area! Nonetheless, a story that needed telling.
  
  I’m glad I read it and can see a show coming from this (maybe there is one already)?
• 
  Maxwell Thomas

  The Art Thief tells the true story of the world's most prolific art thief, Stéphane Breitwieser. In this gripping portrait of obsession, love, and crime, you will read all about Stéphane's heists and how he amassed a collection of art in his mother's attic, worth an estimated two billion dollars. And no, that was not a mistype - an estimated two billion dollars worth of stolen art.
  
  This was a stunning read and elicited several, audible gasps.
  
  4.5*
• 
  Drew

  Obsessed.
• 
  Ali Shukri

  The Art Thief by Michael Finkel - 4/5
  
  Oh wow. This was not what I was expecting!
  
  The Art Thief is a story about love, obsession, and crime. One man’s art is another man’s attic art?? Michael Finkel meticulously researched the life of Stephane Breitwieser, the prolific art thief who stole over 200 sculptures, paintings, and knickknacks from all I’ve Europe, and brought his story to life. Michael had the words flying off the page, and the talk of a man whose life has been so full of beautiful things end in such poor taste. I had never heard about him before picking up this book, and I’m happy I took a chance on it.
  
  This book documents the people in Breitwiesers life while all the thefts occurred, such as his lover, his mother, and his relatives.
  
  Honestly, the fact that I knew nothing about this going in really blew me away with some parts. There were passages at the beginning talking about the integrity of art, and how art is being displayed in museums in environments that are not ideal for longevity. How Breitwieser was actually helping the art out, and honestly that made me believe what he was doing wasn’t wrong. He was never selling anything, even though he needed the money. He lived for art, and he loved art.
  
  I definitely recommend this book for all my art lovers out there 💓
  
  Thank you Penguin Random House Canada for sending me a finished copy for a review 🐧
• 
  Brenda

  My thanks to Net Galley and Knopf Publishers for an advanced copy of this e-book. I loved it so much I bought a hard copy for myself.
  
  I have read about art theft for monetary gain. I have read about art collector's who pay a lot of money to own classic masterpieces. But this book was the first time I have read about a prolific art thief that wanted art for himself! Just to put in his bedroom in the attic of his mother's house. It hung on the walls and ceiling, was on the floor and in his closet. And he was addicted to stealing art from all over Europe!
  
  Such a fascinating story of what made him want to do this, his life, how he did it and so much more that will leave me pondering Stephane Breitwieser for a long time. I highly recommend this short book with a big story!!
  
  {hardback, Libby audio}
• 
  Dina Horne

  I’m a sucker for true crime and then about an art thief who just can’t not steal priceless art from regional art museums throughout Europe? I’m in!!
  This is in a journalistic style, in fact in the epilogue the author shared the book started out as an article in GQ. I just can’t wait for some awesome screenplay writer to make it into a movie.
• 
  Leah (Jane Speare)

  4.5
  
  Consider me immediately captivated by Stéphane Breitwieser: a serial art thief with quite the ego. It's not often you come across an infamous thief who is still alive, wrote a memoir about his exploits, and kept the entire treasure horde in his bedroom. His justification, internally and externally, for stealing, is that he wants to admire pieces in the comfort of his home; how is he any worse than others in the art world? After all, most museums consist of stolen work across the ages. To help his case, his 200+ crimes across seven countries in Europe were those of passion, as he never tried to sell off a single piece. There's something to be admired about that in its own twisted way.
  
  I appreciated the straightforward account of Breitwiser's crimes and was astounded by his calm confidence (or entitlement), and bold actions through every single take, as he tended to just walk out of museums in broad daylight. To act contrary to other thieves is exactly what made him so successful. I am always up for a good heist story, but the fact that Breitwieser planned basically no heists and still ended up with two billion dollars worth of artifacts across decades is what impressed me most about this story.
• 
  LoneStarWords Deb Coco

  Yet art is present across every culture on earth, varied in style but communally revealing what lies beyond words...Art signals our freedom. It exists because we won the evolutionary war.
  The Art Thief
  Michael Finkel
  •
  Is it just me or are books about art having a moment? It's no secret how drawn I am to them -- along with memoir, they are my favorite non-fiction. And although I do not read thrillers, when I find a book about an art heist, I'm all in.
  •
  Thank you PRH audio AAknopf for this gifted copy of The Art Thief, narrated exquisitely by Edoardo Ballerini. I stumbled upon this in my list of ALCs the other day, immediately downloaded (I mean, look at this cover!) and listened every free moment for the rest of the day.
  •
  This is the true story of Stephane Breitweiser, who along with his girlfriend, stole more than 200 works of art over a period of eight years from all over Europe. They were literally the Bonnie & Clyde of the art world; she was the lookout and he was the mastermind. And what made Breitweiser so unique was that he never had any intention of selling what he stole -- he was simply OBSESSED with art; he amassed his collection in one small room and hid it from the world for himself. An art hoarder of sorts.
  •
  I was still living in Boston during the Gardner heist and I've always been fascinated by the fact that when you read about these crimes, they were actually quite easy to commit. Breitweiser is an art crime "snob" and talks down about the Gardner thieves because they cut the paintings from their frames and abused the art. Breitweiser's claim to fame was always being incredibly careful with what he stole (he's a rationalizer through and through) and he took care to never harm any work of art.
  •
  This was part art documentary, part thriller, and I loved every second of it. It's fast paced, interesting and I came away wondering how we leave art so vulnerable, considering every time I'm in a gallery I feel as though I'm being watched from every angle!
  •
  If you love art and a good TRUE story, The Art Thief will be right up your alley.
• 
  Samantha

  Generally speaking I like non-violent True Crime quite a bit, especially when it centers on a heist or museum theft.
  
  This certainly fits those categories, but though it’s well-researched and well-presented, it just isn’t a particularly good story as gentleman thief stories go.
  
  For a book like this to work for me, I need to either a) learn a lot or b) find the thief compelling. Neither of these things came through in this book. If you know very little about art and art theft it’s possible you’ll learn a few things, but don’t expect much if you’re reasonably well-informed on the topic.
  
  Despite that, this still might have been a fun read had our thief been a more intriguing fellow. Though the text attempts to present him as such, Breitweiser isn’t much of a dashing antihero whom you want to root for. He’s just one more narcissist who thinks he’s smarter than everyone else (he’s not) and thinks he loves the art more than anyone else does (he doesn’t).
  
  His thefts are executed purely out of a megalomaniacal belief that he will better care for the art and love the art more than anyone else, and therefore deserves to solely possess it. Unfortunately, there’s little that’s less interesting than a megalomaniac, especially an art thief whose thefts aren’t even especially smart or well-planned, just opportunistic and brazen.
  
  I respect Finkel’s thorough research into the subject and think he did the best he could with the available material, but there are a lot of great reads about art theft out there, of which many are both more educational and centered on a more compelling thief or thieves.
  
  *I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
• 
  Melodi

  4.5
  My second non-fiction book by author Michael Finkel and I am a fan! He does such a great job of explaining the human behind the story. He does so with compassion and understanding where others may see a quirky, weird or socially awkward human. He truly takes the time to know the person he is writing about and shares their story with such grace.
  
  In THE ART THIEF we get some history of art heists throughout time, why art theft is so difficult to achieve and to make money from, the personalities behind the obsession of collecting, and the full story about master thief Stéphane Breitwieser! You guys! He stole hundreds of art pieces not as a money maker but simply because he liked to be surrounded by ancient art and sculpture. He was a master crafter at theft in a very impressive way!
  
  The pacing of the book was handled so well. My attention was captured the whole way through as the story was weaved amongst history, art information, famous heists and the relationship details of Breitwieser. This basically felt like an episode of White Collar!
  
  Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the advance e-copy of this book.
• 
  Maryna

  What happens when a sociopath who have developed a sophisticated taste in art desires to become a collector? He steals and steals from the museums in Europe to, at first, trying to create a safe haven from an “ugly world” in his apartment, and after a while just because he can.
  His knowledge of the art history and love for the Renaissance art is understandable. His disregarding to anyone else’s feelings and basic laws of society, the criminal and exceedingly selfish behavior is almost as creepy and repulsive as that of the serial killer. Maybe exactly the same but in a different scenario.
  Breitwiezer had no capacity to feel the wrongness of his actions, justifying it with his love for beauty, and the existence of the art looting since the beginning of time, and him only following the tradition.
  This book is more about the hay days of his the art thieving and a relationship with his first girlfriend, another strange, to say the least, character, and his downfall, than what was going on in his mind. Although there are records of his psychoanalysis from the time after he was arrested. The author did a great job connecting consequentially all information available together.
  I was also horrified by the behavior of his mother, who have decided to punish her son (and the rest of the world, without thinking, I guess) when the truth became impossible to look away from.
• 
  Debbie

  Fascinating! True crime, investigative, captivating, hard to believe, and actually a how to book on art theft. It not only tells the story of the world’s #1 art thief, Stéphane Breitwieser, it includes psychiatric viewpoints and delves into the minds of people that are obsessed collectors. I had to laugh in amazement, at times, at the brazenness of Breitwieser, and his arrogance and stupidity. He pointed out the flaws in our museums with security and the ability to truly let people sit back and enjoy artwork.
  
  “…unhealthy collecting…takes over one’s life, arising most commonly in people prone to depression who feel out of place in society…the collector’s cycle of hunting and gathering, that primal human rhythm, is often the only activity that makes their life worth living.”
  “When the quest outshines the treasure, you don’t want to stop questing.”
• 
  Dani

  My first ever ARC was a huge success! The author masterfully combines facts with incredible storytelling and a bit of humour, which keeps you gripped from beginning to end. It helps that he has almost unbelievable content to work with as well. I’d never heard of Breitweiser before this and I won’t soon forget this book.
• 
  Ladybug Lynn

  A fascinating read about an selfish, spoiled man who stole so many great works of art. Because of his selfishness , many of these items were lost or destroyed. The author intermixed some psychology of why the thief stole and kept the items. I’m glad the author didn’t treat the thief or his thefts as glamorous or sexy (a la Thomas Crown affair - the MC favorite movie). The author instead showed the banality of his thefts- the thief often stuffed the items down his pants! It is sad that the thief wasn’t punished more severely and I’m glad the author talked about how laws have changed to ensure those who destroy our cultural heritage are punished more.
• 
  John

  Interesting but very slight. Without the mother and ex-girlfriend on the record, the story will probably always feel incomplete.
• 
  Courtney Kammers

  Interesting story of an obsessive. The author's note at the end was my favorite bit - I cannot imagine the time and labor that went into writing this novel.
• 
  Hermione

  This is just a thin little book, I read it in one sitting, but it's such an interesting story. Why would someone do this? Who are this couple? And what drove them to steal things and live with them in an attic? How did they get away with it? All these questions are answered in this book, and peeling that back, the portrait of a rather sad, isolated, grandiose man is exposed. At the end, I was quite saddened and uncomfortable about what happened, which I won't reveal here. All round, an interesting true story and one that's well told.
  
  Thank you to the publisher for the copy for review.
• 
  Krista | theliterateporcupine

  "The Stranger in the Woods" was one of the most unique true crime books I've read, but the same author's latest work might have outdone it. Prior to reading this book, I had never heard of Stephane Breitwieser, but by the end of it, I was pretty PO'd at him. This is an intimate look into the destructive life of Breitwieser, Anne-Catherine his steadfast girlfriend, and his doting mother. It discusses the reasoning behind why he chose to steal and how he justified it and the people that enabled him. I particularly found the aftermath of his arrest and trial interesting because Breitwieser broke his own code of morals (however messed up they may be) in an attempt to give himself that exhilarating rush he longed for.
  
  This book should make you angry that he and his loved ones got away with this brazen crime, sad that so many priceless artifacts were abused and destroyed, and aware that there are others like him, just maybe on a smaller scale. My only criticism is that the writing felt a little choppy at times. I personally think it would have smoother had the whole narrative been in past tense. This book has the perfect materials for a riveting discussion.
  
  Short, but Impactful and Fascinating, this is a great read for those interested in art heists.
  
  A huge thank you to the publisher for and ARC!
• 
  Rachel (bookmamareviews)

  **Thank you Knopf & NetGalley for an Advance Review Copy!**
  
  What is it about an art heist that tickles the imagination?
  
  Is it images of masked intruders strategically bending over lasers and tiptoeing around guards? Or is it the glamour of a life created by these multimillion dollar steals?
  
  What is it about an art heist that sparks ideas of intrigue and mystery?
  
  Is it the constant prompting of the question "who done it?" Or, is it, rather, the question of "how exactly did they do it?"
  
  "The Art Thief" by Michael Finkel answers all of these questions in his biography of one art thief: Stéphane Breitwieser. Breitwiser is one of the most prolific art thieves of this modern century, but his thievery was unique to the typical telling of the traditional art heist story arc. His thievery was less about the reward of the loot and more about the thrill of the chase. About capturing in his hands works of art solely for his own consumption. He was a thief, indeed, but at the heart, simply, a compulsive connoisseur of over 300+ masterpieces, stolen with the subtlety of a master illusionist over the course of almost a decade.
  
  Told with impressive research and detail, Michael Fink has painted a picture of Breitwiser's life that is not only deeply unique and interesting, but also intensely human. Breitwiser, while superhuman in his sleight of hand, really just desires what we all do: belonging and love.
  
  While some of the earlier chapters get a little caught up in detail, the final chapters pack all the punches and provide a climactic payoff.
  
  Thank you Michael Finkel for the hard work you put into telling Breitwiser's story. Every act of history has its share of drama, and this drama is definitely one not to miss.
• 
  Natalia Weissfeld

  This is a non fictional account about who is considered the most fascinating and prolific Art thieves in history, Stephane Breitwieser. Unlike other art robbers, Breitwieser wasn't interested in the economic profit of his theft but in the personal joy and sentiment of fulfillment that being surrounded by masterpieces caused him.
  Between 1995 and 2001 he stole 239 art works from different European museums. His goal? To build a personal collection. Most of the robberies were carried out with the passive complicity of his girlfriend, Anne-Catherine Kleinklauss. They both lived in Breitwieser's mother's house, where the collection of stolen works, of which the mother was completely unaware, was kept.
  This book is so well documented and written that it can be read as a novel. The author had a good relationship with Breitwieser during his research and the writing of the book, and the result is an honest piece, that does not condemn or idealize, and that provides the reader with the necessary tools to form their own opinion and conclusion about Breitwieser's moral status. would highly recommend this book to true crime and art lovers equally.
• 
  Cristina Crescenzo

  I am genuinely surprised by how much I liked this book. Since I only read a little non-fiction, Michael Finkel is a brilliant journalist, and the retelling of events was done very well; the book was informative and not too dull and never lacked sentiment. You could say he painted a picture if you will excuse the pun. There were times, due to Michael Finkel's skills, I felt sympathy for the thief, although he committed an inexcusable crime to the art world. Clearly, Finkel disagrees with Breitwesier's choices but, in some small way, can come to understand them. I found the history of all the artwork and other infamous thefts fascinating, especially the psychological aspects of why Stephane Breitwesier and other art thieves do what they do. It was also a quick and easy read. I feel more sophisticated now that I read it. If you want to read a true crime book and don't like gore, this is the perfect place to start. It will make you appreciate art more!
• 
  Kristi Kasper

  This book was so fascinating! Just know that this was definitely an example of, “don’t judge a book by its cover.” I truly don’t understand the cover art, I don’t think bats were even a part of the book? Anyways, this is a true story about a truly remarkable (in the worst possible way) art thief who stole over 200 works valued close to 2 billion dollars. As if that wasn’t astounding enough, he stole all of the pieces in broad daylight with other people and guards milling about. So crazy! This reads like a compelling novel as the author did thorough and extensive research to amass the whole tale behind this massive crime spree. You will be blown away by why the thief committed the crimes as well as how he finally gets caught and the aftermath. A very unique story.
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  Marcia

  4.5⭐️
  This book is short…209 pgs, but fascinating! Whether you are an art lover or not, the true story of Stephane Breitwieser will blow your mind! 🤯 He pulled off 239 art thefts, often in crowded museums in broad daylight (with the help of his girlfriend Anne-Catherine Kleinklaus), for the love of art, not for profit!
  Finkel’s note on the reporting was awesome, too! He actually went with Breitwieser back to the museum of one of his earliest thefts…and Breitwieser stole an art book from the museum gift shop!!
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  Mary Rose

  Many thanks to Knopf for the review copy!
  
  The Art Thief is a heist-filled true crime book about the life of Stéphane Breitwieser. From 1995 until his capture in 2001 Breitwieser (occasionally alongside his girlfriend and accomplice Anne-Catherine Kleinklauss) stole over one billion dollars worth of artworks from 170 European museums, including works by Rembrandt, Durer, Bruegel the Younger, Watteau, Boucher, and more. What separates Breitwieser from other thieves is that, unwilling to sell the artworks, Breitwiser amassed a dragon's hoard of paintings, sculptures, antique weapons, and decorative arts in is attic bedroom of his mother's home.
  
  Finkel's narrative of Breitwieser's growth as a thief follows his early days falling in love with art and history up through his most memorable heists and eventually his downfall and trial. What emerges is a portrait of a petulant, spoiled rich kid who feels entitled to everything with a serious lack of empathy for others. However, Finkel is dedicated to not excusing Breitwieser's behavior, and the book is littered with conflicting reports from various therapists and psychologists that were involved in Breitwieser's criminal proceedings.
  
  I appreciated Finkel's ability to interweave Breitwieser's story with that of other notable art heists, such as the heists at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and the early 1900s heists of the Mona Lisa at the Louvre. It gives great context to how Breitwieser's crimes were different to those of the most common thieves, and how that impacted the way that they were investigated. It also makes it a good intro to art crime for those who have never read on the topic previously, as Finkel takes the time to debunk some common myths about art heists.
  
  I do think the book is a little bit rushed, Finkel's writing style is pretty sparse. It's clear that writing about art is not his forte (one hopes that his mistakenly calling tempera paint "tempura paint" will be fixed before print) and I don't think that someone uninitiated to art would be able to understand why the works that Breitwieser stole were so important. The only justification that Finkel gives are related to monetary value, beauty, and age, not really artistic significance. Some of the works stolen by Breitwieser were never recovered, and Finkel does not really give this the gravity that it is due in my opinion.
  
  I also wish that Finkel would have explained his angle more clearly throughout. This is not the first book about these thefts, indeed, Breitwieser wrote his own memoirs. It would have been helpful for Finkel to take some time deconstructing what Breitwieser thought about himself, perhaps where he was less truthful. I am rarely one to endorse an author inserting their investigation into a narrative, but some of that may have been helpful here to give some indication about why this book exists. It may also have helped to pad out the quite short length, though perhaps that's something that won't bother people who just want a fast, quick art heist book.
  
  None of those gripes would stop me from recommending the book, if you're interested in art crime, give it a shot.