Six Years, 172 Heists, and $2 Billion Later

"A thing of beauty is a joy forever," John Keats once wrote. "Its loveliness increases; it will never pass into nothingness." The poet's immortal words should be emblazoned on the family crest of Stéphane Breitwieser: aesthete, depraved genius, and according to author Michael Finkel, "perhaps the most successful and prolific art thief who has ever lived." From 1994 to 2001, Breitwieser romped through Europe on a breathtaking crime spree: roughly three weekends out of every four, he nicked priceless works of art from museums, galleries, and auction houses, amassing a collection that ultimately totaled more than 300 works of stolen art valued at upwards of $2 billion.

View in Browser  SHOP EXCLUSIVE SUBSCRIBE How One Man Stole $2 Billion Worth of Art "A thing of beauty is a joy forever," John Keats once wrote. "Its loveliness increases; it will never pass into nothingness." The poet's immortal words should be emblazoned on the family crest of Stéphane Breitwieser: aesthete, depraved genius, and according to author Michael Finkel, "perhaps the most successful and prolific art thief who has ever lived." From 1994 to 2001, Breitwieser romped through Europe on a breathtaking crime spree: roughly three weekends out of every four, he nicked priceless works of art from museums, galleries, and auction houses, amassing a collection that ultimately totaled more than 300 works of stolen art valued at upwards of $2 billion. Read More 13 Cowboy Boot Brands That Prove Western Style Is Here to Stay Think you're not ready? Trust us, you are. Read More The 23 Best Pants to Wear to Work Presenting yourself professionally in a, well, professional setting should never be forgotten. Read More Can Someone Go Fix Marjorie Taylor Greene's TV? Over the weekend, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Van Alen Belt) got on the electric Twitter machine again and, almost immediately, people began to wonder which circuit had blown in her brain. There was a lot going on. She was carrying on a feud with Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Suspiria). MTG claims that la Boebert copped her ideas for impeaching the current president and used them to slide her own specious impeachment motion past Speaker Kevin McCarthy. (Who knows? Maybe it was Boebert's turn to play with him. Share and share alike, folks!) This may have caused something to go sideways in the MTG cabeza because she saw fit to inform the world that she really, really, REALLY is OK, despite the fact that someone was controlling her television set. Read More 5 Bed Frames We Own and Sleep on Every Single Night We tried the modular, upholstered, and modern choices to figure out what's really worth the money. Read More An Exclusive First Look at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale's Best Menswear Deals We got a sneak peek at this year's best offerings—shop AG, Theory, Kiehl's, and more. Read More 'The Bear' Season 2's 'Fishes' Episode Left Me Speechless Anyone who has dared to attend a Family Holiday Dinner—let alone an Italian one!—will relate to the opening moments of The Bear Season Two's standout sixth episode: "Fishes." In a flashback to a Christmas Eve dinner roughly five years ago, three siblings—Carmy, Mikey and Sugar Berzatto—stand outside, deliberating how exactly to tip-toe around the ticking time bomb that is a certain family member. Here, it's their mother, and her trigger? Whenever Sugar asks: "Are you OK?" (Spoiler: she asks "Are you OK?" many, many times, with catastrophic consequences.) Read More Follow Us Unsubscribe | Privacy Notice/Notice at Collection esquire.com ©2023 Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Hearst Magazines, 300 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019