Stéphane Breitwieser may be Europe's most notorious art thief. And, after having stolen over 240 works of art — including a painting by Lucas Cranach the Elder and some Renaissance jewels — served prison time, and, naturally, published a memoir ("Confessions of an Art Thief"), the man is at it again.
The 39-year-old was arrested near Strasbourg, France, recently, along with his mother, Mireille Stengel, after police learned that he had tried to sell a stolen vase in Germany. Upon searching their homes, the French art trafficking squad discovered stolen paintings and other art objects that the two had concealed.
At Breitwieser's home, police discovered about 40 paintings, three sculptures, and a tapestry, French newspaper Le Parisien reports. At Breitwieser's mother's place, cops also found a landscape by a Brueghel pupil that had been stolen from a Brussels museum. Several valuable objects, including chandeliers and pocket watches, were also discovered in the pond next to Breitwieser's mother's house. In the past, she destroyed several paintings in order to protect her son, and also hid his stolen artworks along a highway, in a canal, and even in a neighbor's chicken coop.
Breitwieser had been under surveillance for two years, after an art dealer in a nearby town suspected that the infamous art thief had snatched a painting and an Art Nouveau vase by Emile Gallé from his shop. Both items were among those discovered in Breitwieser's home, and the vase turned out to be the one that he tried to sell in Germany. Since his release from prison, Breitwieser has allegedly committed thefts in France, Belgium, and Germany — staying a bit closer to home, since his previous crimes took him further afield, to places like Denmark and Austria.
When he was arrested, Breitwieser broke down in tears, saying that he was going to die. Although he has always claimed to be motivated by a pure love of art, his urge to profit financially from his crimes is now evident. Police also found €60,000 ($87,000) in cash at his home. "He really loves art," an unnamed source close to the thief told Le Parisien, "but also the money that he can get from it."
After his previous stealing sprees, Breitwieser became famous throughout Europe and even published a memoir recounting his past criminal exploits, in which he boasted of having pilfered a new work of art about every two weeks, robbing over 172 European institutions. Investigators now suspect him of faking bankruptcy in order to avoid paying the damages that several museums claimed from him. He is currently free on bail but may face additional charges as the investigation continues.
Site by Artimin
