Week 12: Non-fiction Annotation

The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by Michael Finkel

Genre: non-fiction

Publication Date: June 2023 

Number of Pages: 240

Geographical Setting: central Europe

Time Period: 1990s

Series: n/a

Plot Summary:

    Within these pages lies to true story of Stéphane Breitwieser, the world's most prolific art thief. Carrying out over 200 heists over a period of 10 years in the 1990s and at the turn of the new millennium, Breitwieser, aided by his girlfriend Anne-Catherine, never stole for profit, but instead to add to his own collection. The pieces tucked away in his attic living quarters, he has exquisite taste and soon develops an insatiable hunger for the thrill of the crime even more so than the art itself. Intriguingly told, Breitwieser spirals out of control until he is eventually caught and interviewed and examined by journalists and mental health professionals who attempt to reveal his innermost secrets.

   

Subject Headings:

Non-fiction

Art Theft

Art Crime

Heists

Europe

Museums

Appeal: 

Pacing and length: chapters in this book are short and succinct, which keeps it moving and makes it feel like fiction. The book is also not very long, so it doesn't overstay its welcome, and readers new to non-fiction will appreciate the story can be told in about 200 pages (including the photo art insert).

Authenticity: this book is well researched and gives accurate description of central Europe and the many locations that Breitwieser and his accomplice visited. He also gives an approachable history and description of the pieces that were stolen, describing them as if he himself was there. 

Writing Style: as previously mentioned, the chapters in this book are short, which keeps the story moving and makes understanding the history of the items stolen much more manageable. Finkel invites the reader into a fascinating world and makes them feel like there are there with Breitwieser as he is pulling off a heist.

3 terms that best describe this book: unbelievable, fascinating, indulgent

3 Relevant Non-Fiction Works and Authors:

Con/Artist: The Life and Crimes of the World's Greatest Art Forger- Tony Tetro

Tony Tetro's art forgeries fooled the art world for more than four decades. After his arrest and release from prison, he became a public figure and still creates original works of art for an exclusive clientele. This memoir is a blend of art history and true crime told in a colorful voice.

Gone: A Girl, a Violin, a Life Unstrung- Min Kym

A violin prodigy at only age seven, Min Kym began playing her rare Stradivarius violin at age 21, and in 2010 the instrument was stolen. Kym describes her self discovery and seeing life through new eyes without her beloved instrument.

The Gardner Heist: A True Story of the World's Largest Unsolved Art Theft- Ulrich Boser

Late in the night of St. Patrick's Day 1990, two men broke into the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and stole 13 items- none of them have ever been recovered and no arrests have ever been made. This book will take you into underground world of art theft and reads like a crime novel.

3 Relevant Fiction Works and Authors: 

The Art Forger- B.A. Shapiro

With inspiration from the real-life Isabella Stewart Gardner heist, this book follows a young artist as she makes a bargain with a gallery owner to create a forgery of a famous painting that was taken during that fateful night in 1990. The protagonist soon find herself entangled in a web of secrets and readers will enjoy this unexpectedly intellectual thriller.

The Goldfinch- Donna Tartt

A novel of love, loss, navigating the upper crust of New York City social life, and a crime of opportunity. Fans of Tartt's The Secret History will be eager to sink their teeth into this 800 page book about the lengths one will go to protect the things they love, even when they don't truly belong to them.

The Lost Van Gogh- Jonathan Santlofer 

In this novel, the great-grandson of the man who stole the Mona Lisa and the daughter of a notorious art thief find themselves wrapped in an unexpected art puzzle when they find a famous missing portrait. Once it is quickly stolen again, our protagonists find themselves wrapped up in the darkest corners of the underworld of stolen art world.