Stéphane Breitwieser

A man took many old works of art. He took them from museums in Europe. He did not want to sell them. He wanted to keep them in his room. He kept the room dark to save the art.

His mother helped him hide the art. She kept it in her house. Later, she destroyed many of the pieces. This was done to hide what happened.

Many people worked to find the art. They found some pieces in a canal. Other pieces were lost forever.

He was caught by a guard. A man walking his dog helped too. The dog even got a gift for helping.

Now, the man must stay at home. He must wear a band on his ankle. It is sad that so much art was lost.

Stéphane Breitwieser was a man from France. Between 1995 and 2001, he stole many works of art. He took 239 items from 172 museums. He did not steal to make money. He loved art and wanted a private collection. He kept the art in his bedroom. He kept the room dark to save the art from sunlight.

He often visited small museums with low security. His girlfriend, Anne-Catherine Kleinklaus, acted as a lookout. He would cut paintings out of their frames. One very valuable painting he took was by Lucas Cranach the Elder. It was worth millions of pounds.

Breitwieser was caught after many years. In 2001, a man walking his dog helped the police. The dog even got a lifetime supply of food! After he was caught, his mother tried to hide his crimes. She destroyed many pieces of art. Some pieces were thrown into a canal. Divers found 110 pieces, but 60 are lost forever. Breitwieser was sent to prison. In 2019, he was caught again. Now, he must stay at home and wear a monitor on his ankle.

Stéphane Breitwieser is a man from France who became very famous. He is known for stealing many pieces of art from museums. Between 1995 and 2001, he took 239 items from 172 different museums. Most thieves steal things to sell them for money. However, Breitwieser was different because he wanted a private collection. He called himself an art connoisseur, which means a person who knows a lot about art. He simply wanted to own the beautiful things he loved.

Breitwieser had a specific way of working. He usually visited small museums in local areas. These places often had low security, which made them easier to enter. He often traveled with his girlfriend, Anne-Catherine Kleinklaus. She would act as a lookout to watch for people. While she watched, Breitwieser would carefully cut paintings out of their frames. He would then hide the art under his jacket to carry it away.

His history of theft began in the early 1990s. His first theft was in 1994 in a town called Thann. He took an 18th-century flintlock pistol from a museum there. In 1995, he stole a medieval crossbow from the mountains. That same year, he stole a small painting in Switzerland. He was fascinated by the beauty of a woman in a portrait. He even stole a very valuable painting by Lucas Cranach the Elder. This painting was worth millions of pounds.

Breitwieser kept his stolen treasures in his bedroom. This room was in his mother's house in Mulhouse, France. He kept the room in semi-darkness to protect the art. He did not want sunlight to fade the colors of the paintings. He even remembered every single piece he had ever stolen. During his trial, he corrected people on the tiny details of his collection. He felt he was the wealthiest man in Europe because of his art.

Eventually, the police caught him in November 2001. A man named Erich Eisner was walking his dog near a museum in Lucerne. He saw Breitwieser acting strangely and told a security guard. The police arrested him, and Eisner's dog even received a lifetime supply of food! After his arrest, his mother, Mireille Breitwieser, tried to hide the evidence. She destroyed many of the artworks by burning them or throwing them in a canal. Divers later found 110 pieces, but 60 are still lost.

Stéphane Breitwieser is a French man known for being a highly prolific art thief. Between 1995 and 2001, he stole 239 artworks and exhibits. These items came from 172 different museums across Europe. Unlike most thieves, Breitwieser did not steal for money or profit. He was an art connoisseur, which is a person with deep knowledge of art. He stole pieces to build a personal collection he could keep at home. He claimed he simply loved the works of art he took.

Breitwieser used a specific method to carry out his thefts. He usually targeted small, regional museums where security was often lax. He often traveled with his girlfriend, Anne-Catherine Kleinklaus. She would act as a lookout to watch for museum staff or visitors. While she kept watch, Breitwieser would carefully remove paintings from their frames. He would often use scissors to cut the canvas away. He then slipped the artwork under his jacket to hide it.

His history of theft began in the early 1990s in France. His first theft occurred in 1994 in the medieval town of Thann. He stole an 18th-century flintlock pistol from a local museum. In February 1995, he stole a medieval crossbow from a museum in the mountains. In March 1995, he visited a castle in Gruyères, Switzerland. There, he stole a portrait by the German painter Christian Wilhelm Ernst Dietrich. He said he was fascinated by the beauty and the eyes of the woman in the painting.

One of his most significant thefts happened in 1995 in Baden-Baden. He stole a painting titled Sybille, Princess of Cleves by Lucas Cranach the Elder. This work was extremely valuable. Experts estimated its auction value at more than £5 million. In 2023, that value would be roughly €10 million when adjusted for inflation. Breitwieser kept his massive collection in his bedroom at his mother's house in Mulhouse. He kept the room in semi-darkness to prevent sunlight from fading the art.

Breitwieser was eventually caught due to the help of a bystander. In November 2001, he stole a rare bugle from the Richard Wagner Museum in Lucerne, Switzerland. The bugle was made in 1584 and was one of only three in existence. A man named Erich Eisner was walking his dog near the museum. He noticed Breitwieser acting strangely and alerted a security guard. The police arrested Breitwieser because of this information. The authorities even gave Eisner's dog a lifetime supply of food to thank him.

After his arrest, a major loss of art occurred due to his mother, Mireille Breitwieser. She believed the works were legitimate or wanted to hide evidence of the crimes. She destroyed many of the stolen items to protect her son. Some paintings were shredded or burned in a pyre in the woods. Other items, like jewelry and pottery, were thrown into the Rhône–Rhine Canal. While divers and dredgers recovered about 110 pieces, 60 items remain missing. A Swiss officer noted that many "old masters" were destroyed at once.

Breitwieser's legal troubles continued long after his initial arrest. He was sentenced to prison in France and Switzerland. In 2011, police found 30 more stolen works during a house search. He was placed under surveillance again in 2016 after an eBay incident. In 2019, he was arrested again after police found Roman coins and other gallery pieces. During a 2023 trial in Sarreguemines, he was found guilty. He was sentenced to house arrest and must wear an ankle monitor.