Author Michael Finkel to discuss book ‘The Art Thief’ in Naples

Who hasn’t seen a beautiful object in a museum or art gallery and thought: “I should just slip that into my pocket and take it home. I appreciate it so much more than these people do.”
Of course you haven’t. That’s illegal. It’s delusional. It’s just plain nuts.
But for decades, a man in eastern France did just that, amassing an illicit collection of sculptures, ceramics, paintings, etc. worth perhaps $2 billion — and secretly displaying it in his attic rooms at his mother’s house.

American author Michael Finkel was intrigued enough by this oddball case that he’s written “The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession.”
Finkel will be in Naples on Monday, Jan. 20, to open the 2025 Nonfiction Author Series for the Friends of the Library of Collier County.
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The series at the Hilton Naples consists of four Monday morning breakfasts, followed by lectures from best-selling nonfiction authors, and then book signings. Proceeds from the events help support the 10 branches of the Collier County Public Library system with e-book purchases, the Children’s Summer Reading Program, the genealogy research databases and the Mail-a-Book program.
The series is sold out, but the Friends is maintaining a waitlist for the possible sale of additional tickets. See the info box for details.
Erik Larson, other authors up next to speak in series
Next up are Elizabeth White, author of “The Counterfeit Countess: The Jewish Woman Who Rescued Thousands of Poles during the Holocaust,” on Monday, Feb. 3; Erik Larson, author of “The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War,” on Monday, Feb. 24; and Adam Lazarus, author of “The Wingmen: The Unlikely, Unusual, Unbreakable Friendship Between John Glenn and Ted Williams,” on Monday, March 17.
“The Art Thief” is the fourth book published by Finkel, a lifelong journalist who has written for the New York Times and National Geographic.
The thief, Stéphane Breitwieser, had never been interviewed by any American journalist until Finkel wooed him with a years-long letter-writing campaign. The result is an astonishing look inside an obsessive life, written with you-are-there detail.
Naples Daily News: Why doesn’t your book have photos of Breitwieser and his girlfriend and accomplice, Anne-Catherine Kleinklaus?
Michael Finkel: The book spans such a long period of time (nearly 30 years) and Breitwieser is such a chameleon that I made the decision not to use a photo of him, and instead allow his image to simply exist in the readers’ imaginations. And there are almost no photos of Anne-Catherine, and I don’t have the correct permission to use them anyway.
NDN: Do you think Breitwieser got off too lightly when he was sentenced? Do you think he’ll ever acknowledge that what he did was wrong?
Breitwieser is a master at justifying his actions
MF: Yes, I do think Breitwieser got off too lightly! Despite committing over 200 different thefts, Breitwieser spent less than five years in prison. This seems like an exceptionally light sentence, but due to the fact that his crimes were nonviolent, his sentencing was limited by the boundaries of the law. Partially due to Breitwieser, several countries, including the United States, have recently passed laws specifically dealing with the theft of items of cultural heritage, antiquities or fine arts. Now, crimes like Breitwieser’s will result in more severe sentences. So while Breitwieser was able to get away with a relatively light punishment, future art thieves, even those who steal without resorting to violence, may not be so fortunate.
As far as acknowledging wrongdoing, Breitwieser is aware that his stealing was against the law and deserving of punishment, but no, I do not think that Breitwieser will ever express true regret or remorse for his actions. Breitwieser is a master at justifying his actions — he believes, for example, that he was “rescuing” works of art from the “prisons” of museums. While this is an absurd notion, Breitwieser did truly believe that he was a collector with exceptional aesthetic gifts who deserved, in his illogical way of thinking, to possess the pieces that he stole.
NDN: Have you continued to stay in touch with him, and what is he currently doing?
MF: Breitwieser and I have remained in occasional email contact. Breitwieser is currently under probation in France for his latest set of art crimes, which involved him selling some of the works. His idea of serving as a sort of art-security consultant has never panned out. He seems to be an irredeemable thief, unable to stop pilfering works of art.

NDN: Would you call his relationship with Anne-Catherine a folie à deux — a shared psychosis or shared delusional disorder — wherein they might not individually have acted out that way? Or was Breitwieser so consumed that he would have stolen no matter what?
Crazy chemistry produced art-stealing team
MF: The lovely French term “folie à deux” is a fairly good one to describe the very odd, very unhealthy and crime-filled relationship between Stéphane Breitwieser and Anne-Catherine Kleinklaus. There was something about the two of them, some crazy chemistry, some sense of entitlement and also a sense of aesthetics, that produced a historically unprecedented art-stealing team. It’s quite telling that the first time the couple broke up, Breitwieser found that he was completely unmotivated to steal art, and once they got back together, he almost immediately went on an art-stealing rampage. It’s possible, and even probable, that Breitwieser may have stolen art even if he and Anne-Catherine had never met, but the incredible prolificness of his crimes — averaging one theft every 12 days for seven years! — was in large part due to having found his ideal partner in love and in crime.
NDN: What can you tell us about your next book or project?
MF: I can say that I am quite picky about book topics, and that I have not settled on one yet. In the meantime, I’m writing magazine articles, including some for National Geographic magazine. But if anyone out there has an idea for me, I’m happy to listen. Please feel free to get in touch with me through the contact tab on my website, www.MichaelFinkel.com.
NDN: Because the Friends supports public libraries, we like to ask each author to share personal memories or feelings about libraries.
MF: I think we can speak all night about the problems and disappointments of modern society, but libraries are not one of them! Libraries — along with museums — are some of the great public goods, some of the true miracles of society. The fact that we can see some of the most important works of art in the world in a public museum is surpassed only by the amazing notion that nearly every book ever written is available for us to read, free of charge, from public libraries. How wondrous is that?
I spent a lot of time in the public library where I grew up, in Stamford, Connecticut. My mother, who was a public school teacher, believed strongly in the wonder of public libraries, and took me and my sister there often, to check out books. I distinctly remember being treated not as a child but as a young adult by the librarians in that public library — they asked what I’d read and enjoyed and then, speaking to me with such incredible understanding and respect, recommended more books for me to read. It was such a pleasure and made me so proud to be listened to by the librarians. And the books that were suggested to me expanded my mind in such wondrous ways, and made me crave to read more. And, it is undeniably true, a large part of the reason I became a writer is due to my indelible, life-changing experiences in public libraries.
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Nonfiction Author Series
What: Author lectures and breakfast that raise funds for the Collier County Public Library system
Where: Hilton Naples, 5111 Tamiami Trail N., Naples
When: A hot breakfast buffet is served at 8:30 a.m.; the authors speak shortly after 9:15 a.m., followed by a book signing
Author lineup: Michael Finkel, Monday, Jan. 20; Elizabeth White, Monday, Feb. 3; Erik Larson, Monday, Feb. 24; and Adam Lazarus, Monday, March 17
Cost: The series is already sold out, but a waitlist is being kept with the expectation that additional tickets can be sold later. The series was priced at $350 for all four events for members of the Friends of the Library of Collier County, and $395 for nonmembers. Friends memberships begin at $40/year and provide access and discounts to many other programs. Details at collier-friends.org. A portion of the ticket purchase can be tax-deductible. Get on the waitlist: Call Marlene Haywood, the Friends’ Program Director, at 239-262-8135, or email Marlene atmhaywood@collier-friends.org.
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