The Art Thief

The epigraph at the beginning of The Art Thief is a quote by Oscar Wilde: “ Aesthetics are higher than ethics”. This poses one of the many questions of morality in this fascinating true story of the most successful art thief in history. For seven years, beginning in 1997, Stephane Breitwieser stole more than 300 works of art from small museums in western Europe, worth, according to The New Yorker Magazine, $2 B. More amazing than the value of his heists, is the fact that he did not steal for profit. All the booty was stored in his attic apartment of his mother’s home, so Breitwieser could savor the mere proximity and touch of some of the most beautiful art in the world. He didn’t want to sell it. He wanted to possess it. He also stole because he could. The vulnerability of the artwork he took is sometimes laughable. Oftentimes he’d just undo some screws and put a million dollar silver chalice inside the sleeve of his coat. His audacity and instinctive reactions are startling. If he couldn’t get an item through a security check, he’s just throw it out a window and collect it later. Breitwieser quickly became obsessed with stealing art. His life was incomplete without it. Even after he was caught, spend years in prison, ruined the lives of of his mother and girlfriend, he couldn’t stop stealing. When he was, miraculously, given a second chance with a book and possible movie deal in the making, Breitwieser again sabotaged his own life. Through hundreds of hours of interviews with Breitwieser, psychologists, journalists, police investigators, and lawyers, Michael Finkel has presented a mesmerizing study of a obsession. But is an obsession with art more noble than any other criminal obsession? If he hurt no one, should the crime go unpunished? There is no ending to this story, nor is there judgement. There are only questions to which each reader may have his own answer.

What a trip along side this art thief as he starts and ends his journey, makes me want to say to him ‘WHY’?

Very good book from page one.

Highly recommend this quick read.

Interesting story.

I thoroughly enjoyed this. I bought it on a whim, and it was so interesting. And it was a very quick read. I highly recommended.

Great story! Well writtenFysteeone

Well written, flows well, never boring. Intriguing true story about famous art heists

Well written, but hard to read about a man so lacking in, well, so much.

An incredible story of a wasted life and a man’s life of desperation. His life of uncommon thievery destroyed not only his life, but those who actually loved him. A tragedy.