Chapter 7
Summary
- Breitwieser and Anne-Catherine go on a ski trip, funded by Breitwieser’s grandparents, and they stop at Gruyères Castle to visit the museum.
- Breitwieser often picks up museum brochures and art magazines and makes a mental note of artworks he wants to see.
- If the conditions are right, Breitwieser proceeds to steal an artwork that he finds inspiring, following his instincts for the escape route.
- During their visit to the Gruyères Castle, Breitwieser becomes enthralled by a small oil portrait by eighteenth-century German realist Christian Wilhelm Ernst Dietrich.
- Breitwieser often experiences intense reactions to art, similar to Stendhal syndrome, which involves overwhelming physical and emotional responses to viewing great artworks.
- Art-related overwhelm, or Stendhal syndrome, is not officially recognized as a psychological condition.
- Some people believe Breitwieser’s talk of Stendhal syndrome is merely a glorified form of kleptomania.
- Michel Schmidt, a Psychotherapist, disagrees with the kleptomania theory, stating that Breitwieser is selective about the items he steals, indicating they have significant personal value to him.
- At Gruyères Castle, upon finding no guards or security cameras around the Dietrich portrait, and getting consent from Anne-Catherine, Breitwieser steals the painting.
- They stash the artwork in a suitcase and drive off to continue their ski trip, admiring the stolen piece along the way. This is their third theft as a couple and the first painting they have taken.