I've been reading so many books lately that wander from topic to topic that it was nice to pause and read this book about one topic—the art thief Stephane Breitwieser, his psychology, and how he stole numerous pieces of Renaissance art, not for money but to simply have them.

I've been intrigued by the need to "own all the things." In earlier times, this would have been the realm of kings, conquerors, and rich men. But on today's internet, it is easy to collect bits and bytes--music, ebooks, photos, recipes, etc. I know from my own life I'm a bit obsessive about tracking the books I've read and own. I've always collected or owned books, but now I track them over several apps. My music is kept in playlists. People pirate things like songs, books, games because they feel the need to possess those bits and bytes, not because they intend to play every game, read every book, or listen to every song. You don't have to be a king anymore if you have a cloud service to store infinite things on.

Stephane Breitwieser wasn't content to just look at pictures in art books or browse museum collections online or in-person. He decided that he needed to possess the art he loved. He discovered that security was lax at most of the regional museums of Europe of the 90s and began slipping away with Renaissance Art. He didn't steal to sell, he stole to collect and possess. I love the description early on about he and his girlfriend living with all his art in his mom's attic like they were living inside a treasure box.

If you like reading about how a person mind works--the author does a good job of tracking down what makes Breitheiser tick and the psychology of a narcissistic mind.

I like how the author stays on _target and keeps the book focused on Breitheiser, only introducing side notes and characters as needed. The book feels tight and focused, which, as I mentioned, I think I needed. Not that I don't like books that meander--I'd be a hypocrite since I often give meandering books high ratings. Still, in this instance, the focus and object of the story are so intriguing that the paring down feels like the author was a sculpture that started with a block of marble but could see the man/statue within and pulled only what was needed to make the book. See what I did there?

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Michael Finkel - The Art Thief: So compelling, so mystifying, and ultimately so horrifying. #cursorybookreviews #cursoryreviews ( )

Wow, what an engrossing and shocking story! This book is very readable, I devoured it in two days, and it only took me that long because I had to go to work! Finkel manages to create a lot of sympathy for three people who did some really reprehensible things. I don’t want to spoil it, but what happens to the stolen art works is really not for the faint of heart. I think I need therapy to recover. ( )

What a dangerous obsession Stephane Breitwieser had. While he did not sell the art he stole he deprived others of the enjoyment of the pieces. Then, his mother actually destroyed most of them forever just to protect her son. I was truly shocked by this true story. ( )

For years, Stéphane Breitwieser, and his girlfriend, Anne-Catherine Kleinklaus, traveled across Europe stealing art. They never sold the art, but storied it in the attic of his mother's home. When he was finally caught in Lucerne, Switzerland, after stealing a 400 year old bugle from the Richard Wagner Museum, he was jailed. But when the police went to his home, the art was missing. Some of it was recovered, but not all. A shocking account of a brazen art thief. Well researched and written. However, the audacity of Stéphane and the loss of these precious and historic pieces is heartbreaking. ( )