Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
The Art Thief
The Art Thief | Michael Finkel
The true story of the worlds most prolific art thief, who accumulated a collection worth over $1.4 billion. A spellbinding portrait of obsession and flawed genius, from the bestselling author of The Stranger in the Wood. 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 Stphane Breitwieser. Carrying out more than 200 heists over nearly ten years - in museums and cathedrals all over Europe - Breitwieser, along with his girlfriend who worked as his lookout, stole more than 300 objects, until it all fell apart in spectacular fashion. In The Art Thief, Michael Finkel brings us into Breitwiesers strange and fascinating world. Unlike most thieves, he never stole for money, keeping all his treasures in his home, where he could admire them to his hearts content. Possessed of a remarkable appreciation for art and an innate ability to assess practically any security system, Breitwieser managed to pull off a breathtakingly number of audacious thefts. Yet these strange talents bred a growing disregard for risk and an addicts need to score, leading Breitwieser to ignore his girlfriends pleas to stop - until one final act of hubris brought everything crashing down. This is a riveting story of art, crime, and an insatiable hunger to possess beauty at any cost. As a real page-turner that seems almost unbelievable in its twists and turns, The Art Thief explores the true story of the art collector who went to extreme lengths to expand his personal collection and the thrill of the heist that kept him going.
Amazon Indiebound Barnes and Noble WorldCat Goodreads LibraryThing
review
yourfavouritemixtape
The Art Thief | Michael Finkel
post image
Mehso-so

Another one I read in my holidays. The story of a guy who steals art all over Europe, just to put it up and admire it in his attic. It took me half the book to realise that it‘s a true story. It was fascinating to get a glimpse into this world, still it didn‘t manage to completely grip me.

blurb
Mitch
The Art Thief | Michael Finkel
post image

What a wonderful birthday package @AmyG Thank you soooo much. I love the sound of this book - and the calendar is perfect. That vintage vibe is soooo up my street. Thank you sweet friend. ❤️

catiewithac Happy birthday!!! 🥳🤩 2mo
squirrelbrain Lovely! Have a fabulous day! ❤️ 2mo
kspenmoll Happy Birthday!🎂🎊 2mo
See All 8 Comments
Lesliereadsalot Happiest birthday from my little corner of the world to yours! 🩷🥳 2mo
Chrissyreadit 😍😍😍 2mo
AmyG Wishing you the lovliest day and year ahead. BIG hug. 🎂😘🎈🎁🎉 2mo
Mitch @squirrelbrain thank you - your card was wonderful xxx 2mo
Mitch Thank you everyone for all the birthday love! ❤️ 2mo
38 likes8 comments
review
ClairesReads
The Art Thief | Michael Finkel
post image
Pickpick

Another VERY interesting non-fiction read. Art crime is a very curious topic, and the story of Stephane Brietwieser‘s thefts is very compelling. With art at the centre, the motivation for these crimes becomes much more nuanced and complex than more traditional crime stories. In addition to this, the extent of Breitwieser‘s offending is truly wild to consider. A really interesting read on many levels.

blurb
RickW
The Art Thief | Michael Finkel
post image

Read 4 books this summer. (Read this one after reading The Goldfinch). This was an incredible ride. The fact that it‘s real makes it even more stunning. If you liked “Bad Blood” you‘ll love this. It follows the outlandish exploits of an unrepentant, habitual art thief. I think that what is fascinating to me about this man is that if he looked different would he have gotten away with his thefts? Or released when he got caught the first time?

1 like1 stack add
review
DebinHawaii
The Art Thief | Michael Finkel
post image
Pickpick

#ReadAway

One of my July #Roll100 picks (# 66 “Any Library Book) I finished it last week & found myself totally captivated by the story of Stéphane Breitwieser, a prolific art thief who along with his girlfriend stole more than $2 billion worth of art from museums throughout Europe, keeping them in his attic bedroom. There are times I rooted for the thief but as his collection grew, his hubris began to annoy me. A fascinating true crime read.?️

DieAReader 🥳🥳🥳 3mo
PuddleJumper ❤️❤️ 3mo
66 likes4 stack adds2 comments
review
Twocougs
The Art Thief | Michael Finkel
post image
Pickpick

Fascinating and just so sad.

26 likes1 stack add
blurb
DebinHawaii
The Art Thief | Michael Finkel
post image

#SaturdayVibes

Ran my Saturday errands, went to the craft fair & bought more cute local cards & managed to hang out at the coffeeshop. I read the first few chapters of one of my July #Roll100 books while I ate my lunch & then switched to writing out #LitsyLove & card swap reply cards before coming home & taking a short nap because the nighttime sleep just isn‘t coming lately.

54 likes1 stack add
review
jdiehr
The Art Thief | Michael Finkel
post image
Pickpick

Is there such a thing as a victimless crime?

I have to admit that I found myself rooting for this art thief who stole millions of dollars worth of art from museums, just to take them home and admire them.

His brazenness and his girlfriend were tremendous assets.

I thought this short audiobook was entertaining and thought-provoking.

review
MamaGina
The Art Thief | Michael Finkel
post image
Pickpick

“Protecting a museum can feel paradoxical because its mission isn‘t to conceal valuables but to share in a way that makes you feel as close to a piece as possible, unencumbered by any security apparatus. Permanently ending nearly all museum crime would be easy: lock the works in vaults and hire armed guards. Of course this would also mean the end of museums. They‘d now be called banks.”
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

review
Cortg
The Art Thief | Michael Finkel
post image
Pickpick

This is kind of a fascinating true crime story of art thief Stephane Breitweiser. The amount of art he stole in less than a decade is unbelievable and he kept it all in the attic of his house. The audio was about 6 hours long and is my May book club‘s choice 😊

mcctrish This book blew my mind 6mo
Cortg @mcctrish Right?! It‘ll be a fun book club discussion for sure. 6mo
32 likes2 comments
blurb
DebinHawaii
The Art Thief | Michael Finkel
post image

#SpringSkies

I used this book that #InvolvesArt for a different prompt about a month ago & mentioned my library e-book hold was 16 weeks. Today it‘s 10 weeks! We‘re moving on up! ? The book is about Stéphane Breitwieser, a French art thief who stole around 300 pieces of art. ?️

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Perfect 🎨 7mo
Eggs Fascinating 🖼️! 7mo
61 likes3 stack adds2 comments
blurb
perfectlywinged
The Art Thief | Michael Finkel
post image

This nonfiction book about a guy who stole art just so he could look at it from his bed is psychologically riveting.

17 likes1 stack add
blurb
DebinHawaii
The Art Thief | Michael Finkel
post image

#ItTakesAllKinds

The latest #TrueCrime book in my TBR, I‘ve been waiting on the library e-book hold for a while now & it‘s still 16 weeks out. ??‍♀️

(I borrowed the background from a New Yorker article about the book‘s subject, art thief Stéphane Breitwieser) ?️

Eggs Fascinating 🖌️ 8mo
47 likes1 stack add2 comments
blurb
CSeydel
The Art Thief | Michael Finkel
post image

I‘m so ready for the #hyggehour readathon this week. No photos because I‘m sick 😫 The worst of it was yesterday, so tonight I‘m in my jammies at 8 pm but feeling better enough to get some reading in.

Lreads I hope you feel better soon! 💕 8mo
CSeydel @Lreads Thanks! Me too 🤧 8mo
AllDebooks Wishing you a speedy recovery x 8mo
See All 7 Comments
Librarybelle Hope you feel better soon! 8mo
Chrissyreadit Hope you feel better soon 💛 8mo
KathyWheeler Feel better! 8mo
TheBookHippie Hope you‘re feeling tip top soon!!! 8mo
44 likes7 comments
blurb
Sapphire
The Art Thief | Michael Finkel
post image

Road trip today with hubby. Tagged book is our chosen audio to accompany us.

review
mcctrish
The Art Thief | Michael Finkel
post image
Pickpick

Bag #3 done of Family Celebration and so is The Art Thief. This book ? I love that I‘ve been to some of the museums Stéphane stole from but what a misguided sense of entitled nonsense; he was above working, SB felt museums didn‘t allow people to interact enough with the art so he took it for himself so he could. His mother is the real monster

blurb
mcctrish
The Art Thief | Michael Finkel
post image

My latest Lego set : Family Reunion Celebration 🧧I‘m hoping to have this done for the Lunar New Year ( also this book is bat shit )

blurb
mcctrish
The Art Thief | Michael Finkel
post image

Now on audio. Sometimes I think narrators sound familiar and this one really does - Edoardo Ballerini - so I googled him. He read The Last Painting of Sarah de Vos which I listened to ( amongst many many others)

41 likes2 stack adds
review
Erynecki
The Art Thief | Michael Finkel
post image
Pickpick

Really well written. Engaging and fast paced chapters. But, dang, this story is depressing. A prolific art thief, an addict really, and a crime spree that eventually ended but so much of the art was damaged or destroyed. I knew a lot of this story from newspaper reports, but this absorbing story definitely fleshes it out in a riveting story of the most prolific art thief of all time.

review
britt_brooke
The Art Thief | Michael Finkel
post image
Mehso-so

⭐️⭐️⭐️ I was super intrigued, and excited, to read this story, but hoped for more of a narrative style. It‘s a bit dry. Still, Stéphane Breitwieser is a unique thief. Supposedly it wasn‘t about the monetary value, but rather, being surround by beauty … which he and his girlfriend accomplice kept hidden in his mom‘s attic. The mom is easily my fave person in this whole bizarre debacle.

review
451Degrees
The Art Thief | Michael Finkel
post image
Pickpick

The true story of Stéphane Breitweiser, an art thief who stole over three hundred paintings, statues, and ceramics from museums beginning in the 90's. He stole not for the resale value of the pieces but instead made his own gallery in his attic room free of security and the ability to intimately study and interact with the pieces. The book very much reads like a fictitious story which made it very easy to follow and was absolutely fascinating

33 likes2 stack adds
review
TEArificbooks
The Art Thief | Michael Finkel
post image
Pickpick

Very amazing true story and brilliantly written. I read it in one sitting. And with finishing this book, I have completed all my reading goals for the year. #wintergame #teamevergreen @Clwojick

1,085 pts

Gissy Congratulations for your reading goals completion 📚📚📚📚🎉🎉🎉Amazing 🤩👏👏👏 10mo
41 likes1 stack add1 comment
review
Bluebird
The Art Thief | Michael Finkel
post image
Pickpick

Stendhal syndrome: a clinical phenomenon in which the presence of a beautiful artwork causes intense physical/mental symptoms. Stephane Breitwieser thinks he has it. 🤔 He stole more than 300 artworks in 10 yrs, estimated to be worth over one billion dollars. He kept them crammed in his tiny attic room for his own pleasure. He stole from museums, castles & churches…during their open hours with no advance planning! Incredible! Fascinating account!

blurb
TheSpineView
The Art Thief | Michael Finkel
post image

#Movie2BookRecs @Klou
Movie: Capote

Both the book and movie are based on real events. Also, they both are about obsession.

Klou Brilliant!! 11mo
50 likes2 comments
review
catiewithac
The Art Thief | Michael Finkel
post image
Pickpick

This author delights in writing novelistic non-fiction about eccentric anti-social dudes. This true story about a dangerous obsession is really good.

62 likes1 stack add
review
Chelsea.Poole
The Art Thief | Michael Finkel
post image
Pickpick

A quick read about an incredibly prolific French art thief. Finkel focuses only on the thief and his accomplice gf who were focused and brazen in their pursuit of collecting stolen artifacts for their own personal collection. What makes them unique in the world of art theft is that they stole art to keep and not to sell. They ended up with hundreds of artifacts crammed in their upstairs room of his mother‘s apartment. Good audio!

87 likes2 stack adds
review
Rissreads
The Art Thief | Michael Finkel
post image
Pickpick

This book was bloody fascinating! An art thief who stole from various museums in Europe not to make money but to surround himself with beauty. 2 BILLION dollars of beauty! Displayed in one room! Over 200 heists across 10 yrs. Sometimes fact is stranger than fiction.

Lizpixie I LOVE that painting!! 13mo
Rissreads @Lizpixie I bought it from an artist in Athens last year on holiday. I can‘t remember his details off hand but when I do I‘ll send you them. (edited) 13mo
Lizpixie @Rissreads Thank you lovely!😘♥️ 13mo
29 likes3 comments
blurb
Sharpeipup
The Art Thief | Michael Finkel
post image
25 likes1 stack add
review
mrp27
The Art Thief | Michael Finkel
post image
Pickpick

#summerendreadathon

I don‘t know much about art but boy do I love a good art heist mystery. This non fiction book tells the story of Stephane Breitwieser, art thief extraordinaire who stole what they estimate to be over 1 billion dollars worth of art from museums in Germany, France and Switzerland. I was fascinated by his audacity and sped through this book quickly. There are some dry moments but overall a fun read.

TheBee 🤓📕💚 13mo
TheSpineView Fantastic!😊 13mo
29 likes2 stack adds2 comments
blurb
mrp27
The Art Thief | Michael Finkel
post image

#weekendreads

Spent the day celebrating my mom‘s birthday now it‘s time for my Saturday night plans…

27 likes1 stack add
review
BC_Dittemore
The Art Thief | Michael Finkel
post image
Pickpick

At just over 200 pages, Finkel keeps things tight, his focus solely on prolific art thief, Stephane Breitwieser, so it makes for a quick, compelling read. On the other hand, he barely skims the dark and complex subculture of art thieves.

I finished this book feeling sympathetic for Breitwieser. I don‘t think he is a bad person, I think he is ill. Without explicitly meaning to be, this book is a perfect example of the stigma around mental health.

blurb
LMJenkins
The Art Thief | Michael Finkel
post image

*sigh of contentment*

wanderinglynn That looks like a lovely spot to be! 1y
Chelsea.Poole Love this scene 🌞 also, looking forward to this book! 1y
28 likes1 stack add2 comments
review
Christine
The Art Thief | Michael Finkel
post image
Pickpick

Loved this! Could the author have gone even deeper? Sure, but it was also great as is. An ideal quick slumpbuster or (as it was for me) audio distraction during busy/stressful times.

39 likes1 stack add
review
jlhammar
The Art Thief | Michael Finkel
post image
Pickpick

Stéphane Breitwieser stole more than 300 irreplaceable artworks, worth around $2 billion, from museums throughout Europe so that he could turn his mother‘s attic, where he lived, into a treasure chest. His mother‘s actions were even more shocking (and disturbing). A crazy and compelling read.

76 likes4 stack adds
review
Hooked_on_books
The Art Thief | Michael Finkel
post image
Pickpick

Michael Finkel has a knack for finding the stories of unusual men (so far, it‘s always men) who live in a distinctive way. Here he follows a man who started stealing art simply because he liked it, and kept up at a rate unheard of in the art theft world. And he simply kept it all to enjoy. Really interesting, quick read.

jlhammar Great review! I'm about a third of the way through and enjoying it so far. 1y
Hooked_on_books @keithmalek Thanks for the link! I look forward to checking that out! 1y
55 likes1 stack add3 comments
review
MallenNC
The Art Thief | Michael Finkel
post image
Pickpick

This was a wild story about a man who stole art from several places in Europe with the help of his girlfriend, seemingly just because he could. Interestingly for me, I had just visited Gruyères Castle, one of the places he stole from. I cannot imagine trying something like that! I read The Stranger in the Woods by this author so I knew he would do a good job with an unusual story. The book cover is pretty ugly in my opinion, but the story is good!

31 likes2 stack adds
review
Cinfhen
The Art Thief | Michael Finkel
post image
Pickpick

Such a wild story and of course expertly researched and detailed by Michael Finkel. Stéphane Breitwieser stole more than 200 objects of art in broad daylight in multiple countries across Europe over the course of 10 years with the aim to own them for his pleasure and never sought to sell them for monetary gain. While he was daring & stealth his girlfriend almost always accompanied him & served as his lookout. It‘s a shocking story of audacity!

Cinfhen Loved the audio narration- I think you‘d like this one @Megabooks 1y
vivastory I recently added to my TBR. This sounds wild! 1y
Megabooks I‘ve already read it! It was the last week of June when I was too tired to write reviews or a book report. I really enjoyed it too! 😁😁 1y
See All 8 Comments
Megabooks Thanks for thinking of me! 😘😘 1y
Cinfhen It‘s definitely worth a borrow @vivastory 1y
Cinfhen Glad we agree on another one @Megabooks - just started this one and so far it‘s good 1y
LeahBergen I‘ve been eyeing this one 👍 1y
Cinfhen It‘s another one of those 🍌👖stories @LeahBergen 1y
73 likes2 stack adds8 comments
blurb
Cinfhen
The Art Thief | Michael Finkel
post image

When life gives you mushy 🍌🍌🍌🍌😁 Enjoying this new book from Michael Finkel. Boring audio cover compared to the awesome hardcover design. It‘s also pretty short. Listening time under 5 hours.

Cathythoughts They look good 👍🏻 🍌 1y
squirrelbrain Yum! 😋 1y
BarbaraBB Looking good 😊 1y
Cinfhen They are really yum and I only used two TBSP of sugar @Cathythoughts @squirrelbrain @BarbaraBB 1y
Centique I am always on the hunt for over ripe bananas but my son eats the bananas too fast! We have had to set a banana limit of 3 per day 😂😂 1y
77 likes5 comments