For most of human history museums have displayed art and artifacts that were "collected" during colonialist invasions and wars. The cultures from whom these pieces belong have long tried to reclaim them via diplomatic channels. This rarely works.
Will Chen, a college senior, was working in the museum on the Harvard campus when it was robbed. The crew took only Chinese art. When he got home, he had a business card in his pocket from a Chinese corporation - the head of which wants to hire him and some friends to repatriate five zodiac heads that were taken from the Summer Palace in Beijing in 1860.
Gathering his sister and three friends, the group travels to Beijing to meet with the head of the corporation.
Irene Chen, Will's sister, seems to float through life, getting what she wants by asking.
Daniel Liang, a childhood friend of Will and Irene, is a sometimes thief whose father is the foremost expert on Chinese Art in the FBI.
Lily Wu, Irene's college roommate, can drive anything with an engine better than most anyone else.
Alex Huang, a software engineer, is in the moment she hacks the museum Will was in when it was robbed, erasing a few seconds of footage.
Already being made into a series by Netflix, this is a fast-paced thrill-ride through some of the most famous museums in the western world - with a dose of reality on accusation policies of those museums. You will be up late because you will not be able to stop reading until the end!
Li, Grace D. (2022). Portrait of a Thief. New York: Tiny Reparations Books.
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