You’ve probably heard of Stéphane Breitwieser. He’s the guy who stole over $2 billion worth of art, not for the money, but just because he wanted to look at it in his bedroom. But the woman standing right next to him during all those museum heists—Anne Catherine Kleinklaus—remains a total mystery to most. While Breitwieser has spent the last two decades cycling in and out of prison and writing memoirs, Kleinklaus has effectively vanished.
Honestly, finding out about Anne Catherine Kleinklaus now is like trying to track down a ghost. After helping pull off 172 heists across Europe, she didn't choose the spotlight. She chose the opposite. She chose silence.
From the Attic to the Shadows
Back in the late '90s, Anne Catherine and Stéphane lived in a literal treasure chest. They stayed in a cramped attic in his mother’s house in Mulhouse, France. It sounds romantic until you realize the walls were lined with $1.4 billion in stolen Renaissance masterpieces.
Kleinklaus wasn't just some passive observer. She was the lookout. She was the one who would cough or signal when a security guard was coming while Stéphane used a Swiss Army knife to pop the frames off paintings by Boucher or Watteau. She was essential.
✨ Don't miss: Salma Hayek Wedding Dress: What Most People Get Wrong
But things changed. The tension of living a double life eventually broke her. By the time Breitwieser was caught in Switzerland in 2001, the relationship was already fraying. She had grown weary of the constant paranoia.
The Trial and the Great Disappearance
When the case finally went to trial in 2005, Anne Catherine Kleinklaus took a different path than her former lover. While Breitwieser was almost proud of his crimes, Kleinklaus was terrified. She testified that she felt like a "hostage" to his obsession. She claimed she didn't even realize the extent of the theft—a claim the court didn't entirely buy, but it helped her get a much lighter sentence than the others.
She was sentenced to only six months in prison.
🔗 Read more: Robin Thicke Girlfriend: What Most People Get Wrong
After she walked out of those prison doors, she made a clean break. She moved away from Mulhouse. She got a job. She raised her son. According to Michael Finkel, the author of The Art Thief (which is basically the definitive account of their spree), she has refused to speak to the press for nearly twenty years.
Why Anne Catherine Kleinklaus Now Still Matters
People are still obsessed with her because she represents the "what happened next" that we rarely see in true crime. Usually, the accomplices try to get a book deal or a Netflix documentary. Kleinklaus did the hardest thing possible: she became a normal person again.
There are a few things that keep her name in the Google search bars today:
💡 You might also like: Raquel Welch Cup Size: Why Hollywood’s Most Famous Measurements Still Spark Debate
- The Michael Finkel Book: The 2023 release of The Art Thief brought her back into the public consciousness.
- The Mystery of the Missing Art: While many pieces were recovered from a canal (thrown in by Breitwieser’s mother), dozens of masterpieces were burned or lost. People still wonder if she knows where the "missing" pieces are.
- The Contrast with Stéphane: Breitwieser was arrested again as recently as 2019 for selling stolen items on eBay. He can't stop. Anne Catherine, meanwhile, has stayed completely clean.
Where is she today?
If you're looking for an Instagram profile or a "Where Are They Now" TikTok, you won't find it. Anne Catherine Kleinklaus is reportedly living in a small town in France, working a regular job, and staying far away from museums.
She has managed to do what very few people in her position ever achieve. She erased her "infamous" persona and replaced it with a private one. In a world where everyone wants to be famous for something, her commitment to being nobody is actually kind of impressive.
She hasn't spoken to Stéphane in years. She hasn't given an interview. She is just a woman living her life, likely hoping the world eventually forgets she was ever the woman in the long black skirt standing guard in the halls of the Louvre.
Actionable Insights for True Crime Buffs
If you’re fascinated by this story, there are a few ways to dig deeper without bothering the woman herself:
- Read The Art Thief by Michael Finkel: It's the most accurate look at her role and why she left.
- Research the "Mulhouse Heists": Look at the specific list of museums they hit. It’s a masterclass in how bad museum security used to be.
- Visit the recovered works: Many of the items they stole are back in their original museums in France and Switzerland, now with much better alarm systems.