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

Nonfiction | Biography | Adult | Published in 2023

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-6

Chapters 7-12

Chapters 13-18

Chapters 19-24

Chapters 25-30

Chapters 31-36

Chapter 37-Afterword

Key Figures

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Book Club Questions

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Discussion Questions

Themes

The Impact of Art Theft

As a thief who steals from public spaces such as museums, Breitwieser believes his crimes are victimless. In The Art Thief, Finkel challenges this notion, exploring the wider cultural impact of art theft. Throughout the text, the author contrasts Breitwieser’s view of stolen artworks as additions to his collection with the loss each piece represents to society.

Finkel emphasizes that, in most cases, the value of artworks lies in more than just their monetary worth. For example, the painting of Madeleine de France, stolen by Breitwieser, represents a devastating loss of French heritage. The portrait of King Francois I’s teenage daughter has great historical significance. Painted by Corneille de Lyon shortly before Madeleine’s death, it captures a poignant moment in time. The painting’s intrinsic value also lies in the location where it was displayed, as the Royal Chateau of Blois was Madeleine’s home. Breitwieser’s theft of a statue of the Virgin Mary from a church illustrates a similar point. For the art thief, the statue is just another artwork to add to his collection. However, the Virgin Mary’s value lies in its spiritual significance and relationship to religious worship. Placed out of context in the corner of Breitwieser’s attic, the statue becomes devoid of meaning.

Finkel suggests that art theft is also an offense against the civilized behavior that society relies upon. The author emphasizes how museums and public galleries work on a principle of trust. These institutions facilitate access to masterpieces on the understanding that the public will not damage or attempt to steal them. Churches similarly work on the assumption that visitors will respect the sacred nature of their contents. Breitwieser violates this trust by taking advantage of the generally low levels of security in these public spaces. In doing so, he threatens the existence of publicly-displayed artwork. Art thefts prompt museums to reevaluate their security measures, forcing them to consider investing funds in heightened security rather than new exhibits. As Finkel points out, the only other solution is to lock masterpieces away in bank vaults where they cannot be seen or appreciated.

Throughout The Art Thief, the author illustrates the selfishness of Breitwieser’s actions. While he undoubtedly appreciates art‘s beauty, his crimes disrespect its wider cultural, historic, and spiritual significance. The text highlights that when a piece of art is stolen, it often represents a loss not just for the current owner but for the entire culture from which it originated. The historical, cultural, or religious significance of artworks makes them irreplaceable components of a nation‘s heritage. Their theft is akin to robbing a nation of a piece of its identity.

The Psychological Aspects of Criminal Behavior

Finkel suggests that the psychological motivations for Breitwieser’s crimes make him a particularly interesting subject. From the beginning of the narrative, the author establishes that Breitwieser is different from other art thieves. During extensive research on art crime, he discovered that “[n]early everybody else did it for money, or stole a single work of art” (221). By contrast, Breitwieser stole in great volume, driven by a passion for a particular artistic period. Throughout the text, Finkel provides a detailed analysis of Breitwieser’s psychology, attempting to explain the art thief’s obsessive compulsion to steal and collect fine examples of art.

The roots of Breitwieser’s criminality cannot be traced to a single experience. In recounting the art thief’s history, Finkel suggests that a complex combination of factors formed his impulses and behavior. The author identifies Breitwieser’s childhood as a crucially formative period when the motivations for his later thefts were formed. His narcissistic character was fueled by his mother’s indulgence, leading him to feel entitled to possess whatever he desired. Meanwhile, his obsessive passion originated in the antiques and art he was surrounded by as a child. The author suggests that the removal of these artworks, along with his father’s departure from the family home, exacerbated Breitwieser’s sense of abandonment. The losses also represented a decline in social status, as he and his mother were forced to move to a cheaply-furnished apartment. Viewed this way, Breitwieser’s crimes can be seen as futile attempts to return to his childhood. His repeated thefts are unsuccessful attempts to fill “some hole inside him” (50).

According to psychotherapist Michel Schmidt, Breitwieser’s sense of aesthetic superiority leads him to believe “he is a literal seer, one of the chosen few who can perceive the true beauty of things, and thus entitled to all he desires, legal or not” (62). His delusions of invincibility also provide a sense of immunity from the consequences of his actions. Finkel at first accepts Breitwieser’s claim that he is not a kleptomaniac, as his satisfaction lies in the ownership of art and not its theft. His choice of exhibits, largely from the Renaissance era, supports his assertion that he is driven by his aesthetic taste. However, as the narrative progresses, Finkel traces a change in Breitwieser’s behavior and psychology. The art thief’s increasingly indiscriminate robberies suggest that stealing has become an addiction in itself.

Nevertheless, the author’s fascination with Breitwieser as a psychological subject endures. In his Afterword, Finkel compares the art thief to “bibliomaniacs” who steal from an obsessive impulse to own and curate books. The analogy suggests that the author ultimately feels Breitwieser’s mindset elevates him above the average criminal.

The Appreciation and Power of Art

Breitweiser’s crimes allow Finkel to explore the enduring power of art. The author suggests that the theft of artwork is a testament to the medium’s emotional resonance. Breitwieser’s yearning to possess certain pieces, albeit by illegal means, underscores the deep connection between artistic creation and human desire.

The potency of Breitweiser’s physical and psychological response to particular artworks is encapsulated in his experience of the “coup de Coeur—literally, a blow to the heart” (27). While Breitwieser’s reactions to art exist at the extreme end of the scale, Finkel points out the similarity between his coup de Coeur and the experience of Stendhal syndrome. Both are overwhelming psychosomatic responses to art that also entail physical symptoms such as “heart palpitations.” Explaining that Stendhal syndrome is often attributed to tourists viewing Florence’s dizzying array of masterpieces, the author presents the condition as a sense of overload caused by excessive beauty. He identifies the part of the brain responsible for the response to art as the medial orbital-frontal cortex. In outlining the powerful impact of art, Finkel suggests that the line between appreciation of art and obsession can be extremely fine.

Throughout the text, Finkel presents art as a potent and universal language. Describing how the same artworks are coveted and stolen by different nations (for example, the Horses of Saint Mark), the author illustrates how art transcends nationality and cultural differences. Underscoring art’s power, he asserts that the ability to admire creative beauty is proof of humans’ sophisticated evolution. Although art serves no utilitarian function, we continue to create and take pleasure in it. Appreciating its expressive qualities is a testament to humanity’s progression from meeting basic needs to a higher plane of consciousness.

For Breitwieser, whose preference is for Renaissance works, the power of art also lies in its connection to the past. Historic artworks are shown to transport the art thief to a bygone period of beauty and craftsmanship. For example, when admiring a tobacco box commissioned by Napoleon, he feels that “[t]o hold it in your palm is to travel through time” (10). Breitwieser’s attic, full of Renaissance artwork, becomes a metaphorical time capsule where he can retreat from the modern world. Furthermore, his collection is a symbol of prestige. The ownership of valuable exhibits (usually a preserve of the upper classes) feeds his desire to return to his former social status.

The Art Thief presents artworks as more than just physical objects. They represent beauty, a gateway to the past, and the enduring power of creativity and expression. If Finkel occasionally indicates admiration for Breitwieser, it is for the refined aesthetic taste that elevates his crimes beyond the mercenary and mundane.