Once I picked this book up, I could not put it down! The author does an amazing job of drawing readers into Stéphane Breitwieser obsession. As a person who does not usually pick up nonfiction, I loved how the author presented a narrative to the reader and examined what compelled Breitweiser. He tied a lot of research and information into the book without ever detracting from the story.
I absolutely loved it, and I cannot wait to recommend it to readers!

In the mid ‘90s, Stéphane Breitweiser didn’t have much to do. He wasn’t going to school. He didn’t have a job. But he did have a cozy room in his mother’s attic that was begging to be filled with some of the world’s most exquisite treasures. So Stéphane, with the assistance of his girlfriend, picked up the hobby of theft. The couple would visit museums, quickly assess security flaws, and boldly steal valuable works of art midday. They continued for years, covering nearly every square inch of the attic bedroom. They seemed invincible until—as you might imagine from the existence of this book—they were finally caught.

1️⃣ This narrative nonfiction piece is a fairly quick read. I think it’s a great nonfiction option for people who are wary of nonfiction.

2️⃣ I’ve never had such a relaxing true crime read. (It was almost cozy at times??) As the author repeatedly emphasizes, art theft isn’t a victimless crime and Breitweiser‘s mentality is harmful. But there’s no violence, no true threat to anyone’s lives in this book.

3️⃣ Breitweiser is outrageously bold. I was in absolute disbelief at his choices while I read. (His girlfriend’s as well, but he was on an entirely different level.)

4️⃣ Finkel balances the narrative feel of this story with important background information beautifully. As a reader, you’re swept into this grand crime spree, but you maintain awareness that Breitweiser does not.

5️⃣ I absolutely recommend this one. If you’re interested in art, true crime, or are just looking for a fairly short and enjoyable nonfiction choice, this is it.

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.

What a super interesting read! If you are into art heists, this is the book for you. I loved reading about the background of Breitwieser as well his various heists. I liked the timeline of him being caught and put on trial.

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.

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.

My gratitude to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

The Art Thief

Michael Finkel has written a fascinating account of Stephane Brietwieser. Who in the world is Stephane Brietwieser? Hard to tell who he is because he was just an ordinary young man with a predilection for stealing art. Not just any art but works from the Middle Ages and Renaissance. He claims to have been driven to steal because his parents divorced and his father had had a collection and he was now left with the lesser life. What? He was also drawn to this type of art theft because he felt the need to possess it as he would appreciate it more than the public who came to view it. Breitweiser was well educated in art and would also amass a collection of books and catalogues affording him a great deal of expertise in the areas he was most obsessed by.

The story is very exciting as he and his girlfriend did some of their best stealing in broad day light. Unfolding over several years, he stole a total of 239 pieces of art and then even other things. Even when life gets better for Stephane, he had a knack for getting himself back into trouble. The book takes you into his motivations and techniques and how the stealing started and how it progressed with the help of his girlfriend. Everyone closes to him somehow doesn’t seem to grasp the whole situation and enables him in some way. He easily justified his behavior and I don’t think we can ever possibly understand his form of crazy.

The book is a bit uneven, as sometimes the story flows although we are given information that seems out of context. I am sure the author was overwhelmed as he had to pull so much source material into form as he was granted special access to Stephane.

What is unique about this story is that the idea of stealing art was never for the resale value or the glory. Stephane just could steal with such grace and confidence, and it became a way for him to have a rush of feelings. He would go to castles and museums that were not high security. He did his work with little effort and only one small tool. He got even more brazen as time went on, but at some point his luck ran its course.

The book adds some fascinating elements from the many psychologists and police that Stephane interacted with. It is not a simple story or a quick read as it seems so unbelievable that anyone would be so daring.

Stephane Brietwieser truly ruined his life, and even as a thief, he was given several chances at redemption. I do think the author presented a compelling story and this book would make a good movie.

I was initially drawn to this book because of the cover and how fitting. This is a fascinating, fast paced, and easily accessible look into the life of the most prolific art thief in modern history (all of history?!), Stéphane Breitwieser. Finkel retraces Breitwieser's love affair with art and a decade long resume of, almost effortlessly and lovingly, stealing said art. Breitwieser smashes all stereotypes of an art thief, elevating himself to the likes of a collector, carefully curating his own little museum. He's an intriguing human with equally interesting, and strained, personal relations that add to the this unique narrative.
Perhaps unlike Breitwieser, I'd buy this book AND reccomend it to anyone with the slightest interest in the art world or crime in general.

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC.

To steal art for the sake of enjoyment and not for money is the name of the game for this art thief.
As someone with a background in art history and museum work, I absolutely loved the spin Finkel took with Brietwieser's "career." This story takes you within the mind and motives of collecting his bedroom of works - giving the reader a beautiful look at this mastermind. Even though I would never think to steal a priceless piece of art, Finkel writes Brietwieser in a way that kinda makes you want to wake up with authentic beautiful artwork on your nightstand...but owning a replica might have to do.

When I love a work of art I buy a postcard or a print or snap a photo. That’s how I ‘own’ it.

But Stéphane Breitwieser had an irresistible urge to steal the art that captured his heart. And he stole hundreds of works of art, filling his attic rooms in his mother’s house with more art that it could hold. Art by by Dutch masters including Cranach, Durer, and Brueghel, silverwork including chalices and a ship, a bugle gifted to Wagner, and even a tapestry were stashed in his crowded rooms.

Breitwieser mostly targeted small museums, and with the aid of his look-out girlfriend, quickly dismantled display cases or removed art from its frame, stashed them under his coat or in a duffle bag, and walked out of the museum, calmly greeting the guards a good bye.

The more successful he was, the greater risks he took. His girlfriend pleaded for it to end. His mother pretended she didn’t know. Breitwieser was caught one day before he even entered a museum he had stolen from before.

I was fascinated by this story. Finkel’s research and interviews offer great detail and insight into Breitweiser’s motivation and personality and motivation. It’s a must-read for those who love true crime stories as well as art lovers.

I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.

I had never heard of this case of art thievery. I was intrigued and eagerly devoured the book.

The author writes with the purpose of sh0wing how the thieves (the main thief and his girlfriend) went about selecting the art and then stealing the pieces.

At first the reader is led to believe that the thief just enjoyed the pieces and needed to be around the pieces, to revel in their inherent beauty.

By the end of the book, you realize that it was the stealing, it was the thrill of getting away with the theft.

I enjoyed the book and learned about art heists and the varied reasons of why people steal art.

First I should say that I love a book about an art heist. But up until this book, I would certainly have meant that to be a novel, a fiction or a thriller. Michael Finkel shares Stephane Breitwieser's heists in such an engaging way that it could be novel. He builds suspense into the narrative even though we already know the outcome. Breitwieser and his girlfriend, Anne-Catherine certainly make for a pair of unusual and interesting characters. The many small museums of Europe create an old world atmospheric, and necessary, setting to their many heists. I felt that Finkel's research was thoughtfully done. He outlines the crimes without judgment and clearly got to know Breitwieser in order to write legitimately about his character. An exciting read that left me with a "truth is stranger than fiction!" vibe.

A fascinating look into the mind of a serial art thief. The brazenness with which Stephane pulled off his thefts is just staggering. The detailed descriptions bring the reader right into the heists, adding an appropriate layer of tension to the book. The shifts in verb tense were a bit jarring, but overall a really interesting read

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.

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.