The amazing tale of one of the world’s most prolific art thieves

HE CALLED THE sensation a coup de cœur: a blow to the heart. When he stood in front of an artwork, Stéphane Breitwieser felt exhilarated. A tingling sensation would flood his body, starting in his hands, and before long he would get to work on the screws or seals that kept him from the object of his desire. Once liberated, the item would usually be sequestered inside his coat, down his trousers or in his girlfriend’s handbag. Mr Breitwieser would then transport his loot back to the attic of his mother’s house in Mulhouse, in eastern France, where he still lived.