The Art Thief

#1 New York Times bestseller

Shortlisted for The ALCS Gold Dagger Award for Non-Fiction

'A breath-taking read, as compelling as a Highsmith novel. I loved it' - Maggie O'Farrell

'Brilliant… A thrilling heist caper along the lines of Ocean’s Eleven' - Sunday Times

'Gripping' - Observer

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 Stéphane 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 Breitwieser's strange and fascinating world. 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 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 true 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.

'Thrilling' - Economist

'Enthralling' - The Wall Street Journal

'A thrilling read' - The New Yorker

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The Washington Post, The New Yorker, Lit Hub