The Art Thief

What a sad story. The “accomplishment” is astounding, but the story is flat. There is no redemption, no character qualities to emulate, ultimately it feels like a story that shouldn't be told.
Unrelated but something that I wish it had were pictures of the characters. There is a center section with pictures of some of the art work stolen but there are no photos of the characters. There are drawing of the attic rooms where he stashed his loot, but no photos. I want to leave this story with the last page of the book but feel weirdly compelled to finish the story by googling the characters. I think I will abstain.
Should you read it, meh.

I just finished The Art Thief by Michael Finkel and here is my review.

Art is always stolen. Usually in violent ways but this is not how the master thief Stéphane Breitwieser, he was a daytime thief, stealing works of art right out from under the noses of security and the patrons around him. How did he get away with stealing hundreds of pieces of works of art? He never sold them. He collected them to keep and the only person who knew was his girlfriend.

They stole for over 8 years until it all came to an abrupt end. They managed to do things that no other art thief had ever done before and it was pure ego that brought it all to a crashing halt.

The sheer gall of these wannabe Bonnie and Clyde is enough to keep you turning the pages of this biography. I don't usually read bios but this one literally fully emerged into the art world and I am a huge art lover and artist myself. It's so interesting to know that even in the 90s it really was quite easy to walk away with pieces of art during the day. These two had a great dynamic and trust in each other's abilities that you have to appreciate how clever it all was.

I found it a little dry. It was a little monotonal but the whole book was rather fascinating that it didn't stop me reading it in one sitting. I loved the pictures of the art that was stolen in the middle. I got a real feel for what kind of art was catching his eye and what kind of person he was from the types of things he chose. He starts to get really arrogant and this is their undoing. It is interesting to read the psychological aspects of the bio as well. I felt that added real value to a really well researched book.

It sent me down a rabbit hole and I love books that do that.

4 stars!

Thank you to @penguinrandomhouseca for my gifted copy!

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The Art Thief is a book about obsession, hoarding, and the insatiable desire to steal precious artifacts. The one aspect that makes this story a bit unique is the fact that the main thief does not take the antiquities to sell; he displays them to admire them in an attic imbedded in a typical suburban neighborhood.

Stéphane Breitwieser and his girlfriend stole over 200 items from museums, fairs, auctions, and cathedrals across Europe for nearly a decade. They circumvented authorities by picking up less-known items using only a standard Swiss army knife and a bit of luck.

The art they steal is varied. An ivory sculpture in Belgium, a tobacco holder, a bugle, some paintings, and a few large sculptures, to name a few. Most of their work is spontaneous and only takes a few minutes. Sometimes they steal several items per day!

But as Breitwieser gets older and the scores get larger in scope, Anne-Catherine eventually wants more stability in their relationship. If he gets caught, she is an accomplice and will be brought to justice as well.

It eventually all comes crashing down, and the authorities start putting the pieces together. Will the couple make it off Scott-free? What happens to the art room if they get caught? The story ends at a fairly recent date, and if the track record of Breitwieser stands, I am sure there will be more to the tale in the near future.

I read an interview with the author about the book, and although admiration is not the word I would choose, the quote is fairly spot on:

“Every reader can have a different opinion at the end between admiration and disgust, and nobody's wrong.”

*Read with the witty, cunning, and intrepid, Helga. Thank you for talking thievery and art! :)