How To Sell A Stolen Masterpiece

In an exclusive excerpt from The Art Thief, gentleman burglar Stéphane Breitwieser committed more than 200 heists across Europe, stealing some $2 billion worth of art. But as fraught as his burglaries were, unloading the loot is even more perilous.

_{By Michael Finkel}

Approaching the museum, ready to hunt, Stéphane Breitwieser clasps hands with his girlfriend, Anne-Catherine Kleinklaus, and together they stroll to the front desk and say hello, a cute couple. Then they purchase two tickets with cash and walk in.

It’s lunchtime, stealing time, on a busy Sunday in Antwerp, Belgium, in February 1997. The couple blends with the tourists at the Rubens House, pointing and nodding at sculptures and oils. Anne-Catherine is tastefully dressed in Chanel and Dior bought in second-hand shops, a big Yves Saint Laurent bag on her shoulder. Breitwieser wears a button-down shirt tucked into stylish pants, topped by an overcoat that’s sized a little too roomy, a Swiss Army knife stashed in a pocket.