His complicit…
To accompany him in all his robbery endeavours was his accomplice and girlfriend Anne-Catherine Kleinklaus. Whenever they would walk into a museum, people would see them as an art-loving couple who had come to enjoy a wholesome date at a museum. Interestingly, Catherine would always stand near the doorway and cough softly to give a cue to Breitwieser that someone is approaching.
Tricks he used…
Wondering what were some of the tricks that Breitwieser deployed to steal artworks from museums? Well, he always chose daytime to carry out robberies, and he targeted museums and galleries where the security was relatively lax. What’s more is that he was so passionate about the artworks he stole that he kept them in his bedroom at his mother’s home at Mulhouse in France. In fact, he even took great care of keeping the artworks safe and secure. However, his mother (Mireille) was not aware of Breitwieser’s shenanigans. She always thought that the artworks were acquired through legal means.
What led to his arrest…
Breitwieser landed in soup when he stole a 16th century bugle (a brass instrument like a small trumpet) from Richard Wagner Museum in Lucerne, Switzerland. The security guard of the place registered his face and on his subsequent visit, he raised alarm and this is what led to the arrest of Breitwieser. When the latter’s mother came to know about the news of his arrest, she panicked. Her first impulse directed her to destroy many of the stolen artworks in hopes of eliminating evidence.
Continued to commit thefts…
Eventually, Breitwieser was arrested and he was sentenced to serve three years in prison, his mother was sentenced for 18 months for destroying the artworks and his girlfriend was sentenced to 6 months for being complicit in the crime. It’s surprising how his love for artworks was so strong that he continued to commit thefts even after he was sentenced to jail. In fact, during his trial, it was revealed to the court that the psychiatric assessment of Breitwieser labelled him as narcissistic, childish and antisocial.
Among the notable things he stole…
A fan of artworks, Breitwieser stole paintings by famous artists like Peter Brueghel, Antoine Watteau and François Boucher, as well as a 16th century work by Lucas Cranach the Elder, believed to be worth over SFr10.8 million ($8 million).
