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Ocean’s Eleven meets The Farewell in Portrait of a Thief, a lush, lyrical heist novel inspired by the true story of Chinese art vanishing from Western museums, about diaspora, the colonization of art, and the complexity of the Chinese American identity.
- The Real Story Behind Portrait of A Thief
- Responses to The Heists
- Parallels to Li’s Novel
Beginning back in 2010 in Stockholm, a person (or, more likely, persons) looted several works of Chinese art from Drottningholm Palace in under six minutes. Though the authorities were alerted, the police were attending a random car fire on the other side of the city. Over several months, other Chinese artwork disappeared in a similar, ultra-carefu...
The two leading theories (and interlinked theories) are that the newer class of Chinese billionaires orchestrated the heists, and the Chinese government greenlit the venture. The Chinese government (and the Chinese Poly Group) denounced the accusations. After a rumor arose that one of the works of art was on display at a Shanghai airport, the inves...
This mysterious and nuanced examination of the ownership of art is also very present in Li’s book. Questions of who has the right to claim what is right, amidst the remnants (and current existence) of colonialism, imperialism, and assimilation, remains a pressing topic. Class and racial dynamics are also big players in both the novel and the real-l...
May 10, 2021 · Grace Li Courtesy APA. Ahead of its publication — and following a highly competitive bidding war — Netflix has snapped up TV rights to Grace Li’s novel, Portrait of a Thief. Set to be published...
Portrait of a Thief is the 2022 debut novel by Chinese American author Grace D. Li. It is on the New York Times Best Seller list and named a New York Times Best Crime Novel of 2022. Netflix acquired the rights to the book, and it is in development as a television series.
Like The Fast and the Furious movies, Grace D. Li’s debut novel about young Chinese-Americans is part heist, part about finding a family with those around you.
Ahead of its publication — and following a highly competitive bidding war — Netflix has snapped up TV rights to Grace Li’s novel, Portrait of a Thief. Set to be published April 5, 2022, by Dutton’s Tiny Reparations banner, Thief is based on a true story of Chinese art vanishing from Western museums.
Apr 5, 2022 · Grace Li's debut novel, “Portrait of a Thief,” blends action with a thoughtful exploration of colonialism and Chinese identity.
