Russian Translation of Journalist Michael Finkel's "The Art Thief" Published

A Russian translation of journalist Michael Finkel's book "The Art Thief" has been published. Two years ago it became a bestseller in the United States. Its hero is Stéphane Breitwieser, a young Frenchman with neither education nor profession, who between 1995 and 2001 stole more than 200 exhibits from 172 museums in the countries of the European Union. On average he stole every two weeks, at weekends, and only on alternate ones. The total damage caused by his activities is estimated at hundreds of millions of euros. Yet Breitwieser never sold what he took: he kept the exhibits in the attic of his flat and admired his stolen collection.

The book is based on Michael Finkel's conversations with Breitwieser, who has since served his sentence, as well as on the investigation and court materials. The author traces the course of his crimes with great thoroughness. You can read more about this horror story for museum staff and collectors on the website of The Art Newspaper Russia, and buy the book here