In brief
A brazen break‑in at the Musée Renoir in Cagnes‑sur‑Mer saw four priceless Renoir paintings vanish in the early hours of Tuesday. The thieves cut through the museum fence and broke frames, leaving two artworks in the garden while the other two remain missing. The four pieces, each valued at €9 million, were recovered from the museum’s premises, but police still search for the stolen works. Mayor Bryan Masson urged the French government to increase security funding for local museums after the raid highlighted rising organised art crime across Europe.
Four paintings by the famed Impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir were stolen from the Musée Renoir in Cagnes-sur-Mer in the early hours of Tuesday, with a total value of about €36 million. Two of the works were found in the museum’s garden shortly after the break‑in while the other two remain missing.
\According to Mayor Bryan Masson, the thieves entered the museum by cutting through the perimeter fence and broke windows to move the framed canvases. CCTV footage shows the suspects wearing helmets, gloves and carrying an electric knife and a hacksaw.
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- Missing: Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano (1910) and Jeune fille au puits (1886) \
- Recovered: Portrait of Madame Pichon (1895) and Coco Lisant (1905) \
The museum, which houses 12 of Renoir’s works, opened in 1960 and served as the painter’s home before his death in 1919.
\Mayor Masson warned that the incident “should serve as a warning about the protection of our museums” and urged the French government to bolster security funding for local institutions.
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