The Secrets of the World's Greatest Art Thief

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https://www.gq.com/story/secrets-of-the-worlds-greatest-art-thief

By Michael Finkel
GQ.com
February 28, 2019

"Don't worry about parking the car," says the art thief. "Anywhere near the
museum is fine." When it comes to stealing from museums, Stephane Breitwieser is
virtually peerless. He is one of the most prolific and successful art thieves
who have ever lived. Done right, his technique-daytime, no violence, performed
like a magic trick, sometimes with guards in the room-never involves a dash to a
getaway car. And done wrong, a parking spot is the least of his worries.

Just make sure to get there at lunchtime, Breitwieser stresses, when the
visitors thin and the security staff rotates shorthanded to eat. Dress sharply,
shoes to shirt, topped by a jacket that's tailored a little too roomy, with a
Swiss Army knife stashed in a pocket.

Be friendly at the front desk. Buy your ticket, say hello. Once inside,
Breitwieser adds, it's essential to focus. Note the flow of visitor traffic and
memorize the exits. Count the guards. Are they sitting or patrolling? Check for
security cameras and see if each has a wire-sometimes they're fake.

When it comes to museum flooring, creaky old wood is ideal, so even with his
back turned, Breitwieser can hear footsteps two rooms away. Carpeting is the
worst. Here, at the Rubens House, in Antwerp, Belgium, it's somewhere in
between: marble. For this theft, Breitwieser has arrived with his girlfriend and
frequent travel companion, Anne-Catherine Kleinklaus, who positions herself near
the only doorway to a ground-floor exhibition room and coughs softly when anyone
approaches.

[...]



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