March 1, 2023
The tale of a strong candidate for the title of "most prolific art thief ever." St�phane Breitwieser (b. 1971) claimed that his sole motivation for stealing was to surround himself with beauty. Over eight years and more than 200 heists, he made off with an estimated $1.4 billion to $1.9 billion worth of loot. Expanding on an article he wrote for GQ, Finkel, the author of The Stranger in the Woods, follows the string of Breitwieser's thefts across Europe. His crimes are particularly fascinating because Breitwieser kept all of his booty, displayed for his delectation, in the attic of his mother's house in Mulhouse, an industrial city in eastern France. He considered himself an "art collector with an unorthodox acquisition style" or an "art liberator who did not steal for monetary gain." He purloined masterpieces from sparsely protected regional museums during daylight hours, evading guards and tourists through skill and timing. Finkel's play-by-play of each theft has the pacing and atmosphere of a good suspense tale. We learn which objects stir the thief's passions and how his "sweet spot" was Northern European "cabinet paintings" from the 16th and 17th centuries, small works that are easier to pilfer. The author describes each acquisition as well as Breitwieser's simple but effective methods. For example, he used his only tool, a Swiss Army knife, to effect a "silicone slice" into museum display cases. The catalog of plundered works is extensive, and the book will contain two maps and an eight-page color insert featuring some of the stolen art. Finkel makes a valuable addition to existing media reports from Breitwieser's trials; an earlier account, Vincent Noce's The Selfish Collection; and the art thief's own, ghostwritten, memoir, Confessions of an Art Thief. Arrested in 2019, Breitwieser awaits another trial this April. Finkel's extensive research, survey of art history, and hours of interviews with his subject combine for a compelling read.
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May 1, 2023
Finkel (The Stranger in the Woods, 2017) presents a roller-coaster read of hubris and romance, contradiction and despair. French art thief St�phane Breitwieser's story is full of epic highs that seem never-ending and crucial questions regarding his mental state and motivation. He is a man who "exempt[ed] himself from the rules of society." Over nearly eight years, Breitwieser stole a work of art once every dozen or so days, amassing over 300 objects, including engravings, weapons, tapestries, and paintings. Acting on instinct, often spontaneously, improvising, and thrilled by the challenge, Breitwieser seems to have reveled in the exhilaration aroused by taunting the authorities. But he also comes across as lonesome, guided by passion and aesthetics, and obsessed with acquisition; he kept all that he stole. Is he criminally insane? Immature and spoiled? Certainly his unquenchable thirst for stealing art was indulged by the people who loved him and whom he loved, including his mother, and his crimes ultimately destroyed their lives. Finkel examines the circumstances that fed Breitwieser's obsession and led to his downfall.
COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Starred review from May 1, 2023
Finkel follows up his best-selling The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit with the captivating story of St�phane Breitweiser, the world's most prolific art thief, who stole paintings and objects from more than 200 museums across Europe over a span of eight years. The value of the stolen items, some difficult to price, is estimated to be $1-$2 billion. Breitweiser says he never stole for money. Instead, he views himself as a collector who takes art only in the daytime, without violence, when a museum is open to the public. From the opening chapter, Finkel's tight prose heightens the drama of each theft, as Breitweiser and his girlfriend Anne-Catherine Kleinklaus, who serves as his lookout, enter Belgium's Rubens House amid visitors and guards. Breitweiser leaves with an ivory sculpture of Adam and Eve, which he adds to his secret galley in his mother's house in France. Finkel also researches Breitweiser's motivation and insatiable hunger for possessing beautiful things, which makes for a fascinating read. VERDICT Finkel will have art history and true crime lovers obsessively turning the pages of this suspenseful, smartly written work until its shocking conclusion.--Denise Miller
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Starred review from May 15, 2023
In this masterful true crime account, Finkel (The Stranger in the Woods) traces the fascinating exploits of Stéphane Breitwieser, a French art thief who stole more than 200 artworks from across Europe between 1995 and 2001, turning his mother’s attic into a glittering trove of oil paintings, silver vessels, and antique weaponry. Mining extensive interviews with Breitwieser himself, and several with those who detected and prosecuted him, Finkel meticulously restages the crimes, describing the castles and museums that attracted Breitwieser and Anne-Catherine Kleinklaus, his accomplice and romantic partner; the luminous oils and sculptures that caught Breitwieser’s eye; and the swift, methodical actions he took to liberate his prizes. According to Breitwieser, his sole motive was aesthetic: to possess great beauty, to “gorge on it.” Drawing on art theory and Breitwieser’s psychology reports, Finkel speculates on his subject’s addiction to beauty and on Anne-Catherine’s acquiescence to the crimes. The account is at its best when it revels in the audacity of the escapades, including feats of misdirection in broad daylight, and the slow, inexorable pace of the law. It’s a riveting ride.