#50 in Biography & memoir
The Art Thief
- 213
- Pages
- about 4 h
- Reading time
- NYT bestseller · 9 weeks on the list, peaked at #5
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About the book
The true story of the world’s 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 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. Unlike most thieves, he never stole for money, keeping all his treasures in his home, where he could admire them to his heart’s 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 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, 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.
Where the score comes from
The sources average 7.8 across 182 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 50% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Biography & memoir average of 8.2. That is how 8.0 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardcover | 7.8 | 182 | 100% |
Reader voices
The most-liked reviews on Hardcover (credited to their authors).
““The Art Thief” is exactly the kind of non-fiction that hits my sweet spot. Well-written, well-researched, and what I'd consider a page turner that reads like fiction, Finkel packs a ton into just over 200 pages. I've had this book on my to-read list since it came out having enjoyed a previous book by the author, “The Stranger in”
Frequently asked
What is The Art Thief rated?
8.0 out of 10, from 182 reader ratings across 1 independent sources.
Is The Art Thief worth reading?
Readers give it 8.0/10 from 182 ratings, which puts it ahead of 30 % of the Biography & memoir shelf.
How long does it take to read The Art Thief?
About 4 hours at an average reading pace — 213 pages.
Where does The Art Thief rank?
#50 in Biography & memoir on the current snapshot.
Was The Art Thief a bestseller?
Yes — 9 weeks on the New York Times list, peaking at #5. Sales are shown here but never scored.
How long is The Art Thief?
It has 213 pages — shorter than 82% of the ranked books in Biography & memoir.
If you liked this
Same shelf — Biography & memoir — with scores between 7.9 and 8.1, closest to this book.
