A heist story like no other, The Art Thief by Michael Finkel tells the true story of Stéphane Breitwieser, who steals an array of mostly Baroque and Renaissance works of art not for financial gain but to admire and possess each piece. From 1994 to 2001, Breitwieser, along with the help of his girlfriend Anne-Catherine Kleinklaus, carried out more than two hundred heists in museums throughout Europe. Mostly using a swiss army knife, Brietwieser and Klienklaus would set up each heist, laying out rules for each and taking the stolen loot back to a set of upstairs rooms in Breitwieser’s mother’s house, where they could privately enjoy their spoils. Finkel tells the story of a man who uses his brains and athleticism to pull off intricate thefts just for the pleasure and power of possession.
