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The Art Thief
- A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini, Michael Finkel
- Length: 5 hrs and 39 mins
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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
What the critics say
“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
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What listeners say about The Art Thief
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- Samuel Lee
- 2023-07-21
Very enjoyable profile of a very obsessed man
I enjoyed how well informed the book was. It was like a long newspaper article in the best possible way.
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- Kevin W
- 2023-07-16
FANTASTIC! Wonderfully written, I couldn’t get enough!
Finkel delivers an outstanding account of Breitweiser’s life and thefts through thorough research. I also throughly enjoyed the narration by Ballerini, who read the book in a captivating way with wonderful cliffhangers and dramatic pauses.
I finished the book and wished there were 10 more chapters. 10/10
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- Dorianne B.
- 2023-08-01
I liked it
The narration was fabulous. The story was intriguing. Overall, a great listen 👍
I have nothing more to say really, I'm simply typing this because they require a minimum of 15 words *eyeroll*. What is this? An English 30 essay?! Geesh. I'm not the AUTHOR Audible, I'm the reader.
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- SD
- 2023-10-11
Fantastic story
Absolutely fascinating story superbly narrated by Mr Ballerini. I didn’t want it to end. I will be re-listening to it again. Wonderful.
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