The Art Thief

A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession

By: Michael Finkel

Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini, Michael Finkel

One of the most remarkable true-crime narratives of the twenty-first century: the story of the world’s most prolific art thief, Stéphane Breitwieser.

In this spellbinding portrait of obsession and flawed genius, the best-selling author of The Stranger in the Woods brings us into Breitwieser’s strange world—unlike most thieves, he never stole for money, keeping all his treasures in a single room where he could admire them.

For centuries, works of art have been stolen in countless ways from all over the world, but no one has been quite as successful at it as the master thief Stéphane Breitwieser. Carrying out more than two hundred heists over nearly eight years—in museums and cathedrals all over Europe—Breitwieser, along with his girlfriend who worked as his lookout, stole more than three hundred objects, until it all fell apart in spectacular fashion.

In The Art Thief, Michael Finkel brings us into Breitwieser’s strange and fascinating world. Unlike most thieves, Breitwieser never stole for money. Instead, he displayed all his treasures in a pair of secret rooms where he could admire them to his heart’s content. Possessed of a remarkable athleticism and an innate ability to circumvent practically any security system, Breitwieser managed to pull off a breathtaking number of audacious thefts. Yet these strange talents bred a growing disregard for risk and an addict’s need to score, leading Breitwieser to ignore his girlfriend’s pleas to stop—until one final act of hubris brought everything crashing down.

This is a riveting story of art, crime, love, and an insatiable hunger to possess beauty at any cost.

Cover images: (top) Bat by Albrecht Dürer. Bridgeman Images; (bottom) The Sleeping Shepherd (detail) by François Boucher © RMN-Grand Palais / Art Resource, NY

A book that's steals your attention!

Quite literally, I couldn't put it down. I made the mistake of beginning this book in my car on my way to a hike. I instinctualy took it in my ear amongst the woods to substitute bird songs for one chapter after another. Then at the grocery store, then the ride home, before, to my regret, it ended in one sitting. Not easy to do that to a reader.

It's a story, not spoiling anything you don't learn chapter 1 by the way, about a man obsessed with possessing art. The skills he masters are truly impressive and his daring evolves to be bold. His arrests, his lies, quiting theft and the rekindling of it, the thrill, the fear, the accomplices, all of it. At some points I stopped walking and cursed to myself at the surprises the chapters delivered. Then again at the next, and again. The story is amazing, the Thief is not.

I found myself wanting him to succeed like the movies and book I grew up with. Then I remembered this is a true story, hated myself a bit, then was stunned at the thefts all over again. This cycle repeated for the whole book. I'm moving on to more true crime art theft, the thrill passed through me like voltage. Please read it if you enjoy art, crime, psychology, collecting, or have a pulse.

But why the 4 stars then? Simply this; I felt bad for him. He was exposed as a skilled nobody. Barrowing money, getting arrested, getting lazy, and, of course, stealing. I feel like there is no hero when he had the amazing chance to be. In a way, I was let down by him as some of his family and friends where. I WANTED him to win by being something he's not. Even Arsen Lupon was a gentleman. That's seperate from the story, narration, and the way this book reads. It's a tragic oil painting in audible form.

Brilliantly written, amazing story!!

One of the best written books I’ve read in a long time. It’s an amazing story. 5 stars!!!

Learned A Lot

I’m not much of an “art person”. This book kinda made me wish I was more appreciative of art. Learned a lot while being pretty entertained by a true story. Well done.

Smooth Like Caramel

This tale had remarkable events that are stranger that fiction but so easy to digest because of the melodious writing and reading. Wonderfully consumable!

Fascinating!!!

5 stars, 5 stars, 5 stars. This was a story I had never heard and had me completely engaged throughout. Well told, well researched, very thorough, amazing. Highly recommend.