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The Art Thief

By: Michael Finkel
Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini, Michael Finkel
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Publisher's summary

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

©2023 Michael Finkel (P)2023 Random House Audio
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Critic reviews

“It is romantic to liken art thieves to Pierce Brosnan’s glamorous character in The Thomas Crown Affair. The reality is far less charming. Case in point: Stéphane Breitwieser, one of the most successful art thieves of all time. From roughly 1994 to 2001, Breitwieser executed more than 200 heists. The book’s first lesson? Europe has a lot of understaffed historic buildings. The second? Even a kleptomaniac with delusions of grandeur can be made mildly sympathetic in the hands of a skilled writer.” Bloomberg

“This is an absorbing and astonishing portrait of a fascinating and complicated character—a riveting story of obsession and misplaced brilliance.” —Kirk Wallace Johnson, best-selling author of The Feather Thief and The Fishermen and the Dragon

The Art Thief, like its title character, has confidence, élan, and a great sense of timing. It is propelled by suspense and surprises....This ultra-lucrative, odds-defying crime streak is wonderfully narrated by Finkel, in a tale whose trajectory is less rise and fall than crazy and crazier....Part of what makes Finkel’s book so much fun is that, without exception, [Breitwieser’s] strategies are insane." —Kathryn Schulz, The New Yorker

What listeners say about The Art Thief

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  • Overall
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Best Ever Art Crime Story

Narrator pitch perfect
Human foibles fascinating
Art theft story line most engaging
I have read many art theft books and this book I have to say is the best one.

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3 people found this helpful

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Fascinating...

Could not stop listening. Great narration. I know nothing about art, and yet this is one of the best books I've listened to in years.

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1 person found this helpful

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Well written and performed

So much a great story and so well written that if you have ever spent any time in a museum you can imagine standing in the room while the heists occur. The readers voice is at times a bit dramatic, but feels right for the personality it is portraying. Will be reading more books by Michael Finkel!

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Loved it

What a fascinating piece of history. Too bad inspector Clouseau couldn’t have been on the case!! So sad about the paintings though :(.

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  • Overall
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Great story

Narration is excellent. Great story. Kept my interest throughout the entire book. Worth a listen

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So good

Absolutely incredible one of the best very long time so well written really really well done

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Spell binding!

I loved every minute of this fascinating, true story. The author and narrator draw you in and won’t let go!

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Totally engrossing

I so enjoyed this book. It kept me company in the car for almost 3 weeks. It’s the kind of book that you can stop anytime and still look forward to hearing a bit more when you’re out running your errands and taking short trips.

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Good pacing great true story

Great true story. I’d say it is Worth a credit. Good performance and overall great true crime story.

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Excellent, Compelling

Fascinating real life story about an obstructive passion for art. As with his other books Finkel draws on emotional intensity in portraying a true thief. I hope this book becomes a movie!

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