In brief
Early Tuesday thieves broke into the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer, removing two painting‐frames that each were valued at €9 m, whilst dropping two artworks in the gardens. CCTV footage showed the burglars wearing protective gear and using an electric knife and hacksaw. Mayor Bryan Masson said the perpetrators were well‑equipped and warned that organised crime now targets cultural heritage. Two paintings, "Portrait of Madame Pichon" and "Coco Lisant", have been recovered, but "Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano" and "Jeune fille au puits" remain missing. Authorities are urging stronger protection for museums across Europe.
Two iconic Renoir paintings, each worth €9 million, were stolen from the Musée Renoir in Cagnes‑sur‑Mer, France, early Tuesday morning after burglars broke into the museum’s grounds.
Security camera footage captured the intruders forcing open a fence and cutting the wooden frames that held the artworks. The alarm rang at 05:48 local time and police arrived within five minutes, but the thieves fled before anyone could engage them.
Mayor Bryan Masson described the culprits as “well‑equipped” and “well‑informed”, noting they wore helmets, gloves, combat gear and carried an electric knife and hacksaw. Investigators found two zip‑up bags at the scene, possibly belonging to the suspects.
Two of the four targeted paintings were dropped in the museum gardens and were recovered shortly thereafter: Portrait of Madame Pichon (1895) and Coco Lisant (1905). Those still missing are Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano (1910) and Jeune fille au puits (1886).
The mayor warned that the heist represents an attack on the cultural heritage of Cagnes‑sur‑Mer and called for increased financial support from the French government to protect local museums from a growing trend of organised art crime.
