Crimeupdated 1h ago2 min read
French Police Recover Two Renoir Paintings After Renoir Museum Heist In Cagnes-sur-Mer
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Two Renoir paintings recovered; valued at about $10.5 million. Six people arrested in connection with the theft.
22 outlets told this the same way.
Renoirs Recovered
French police recovered two Auguste Renoir paintings stolen from the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer, and the town’s mayor said the works were found a month after the theft. Bryan Masson said, “Knowing they have been recovered is an immense relief.” The theft unfolded when two thieves broke into the Renoir Museum a little before 6am on September 8, cutting through a fence to enter the grounds, smashing a window and using an electric saw to cut the clips securing the frames.
The mayor said the thieves were “well equipped” and “well informed,” and investigators said the alarm sounded at 5:48am with municipal police arriving five minutes later to force the thieves to flee. Six people were arrested in connection with the theft, local authorities said, and the prosecutor’s office opened a theft investigation into an organised gang.
How the Heist Worked
Investigators said the thieves entered through a window and took four paintings, out of the twelve in the museum, in less than three minutes. The public prosecutor’s office emphasized that the four paintings were the most valuable in the collection and estimated them at a total of 9 million euros. The thieves abandoned two paintings in the museum’s garden during their escape, and the prosecutor’s office said the two remaining missing works were “Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano” and “Young Woman at the Well”.
The BBC said the thieves initially made off with four paintings but dropped two of them in the museum garden as they fled. The BBC reported that the two missing paintings were the Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano (1910) and Jeune fille au puits (1886), and it said the Renoir Museum houses 12 of the famous painter’s artworks.
Arrests and What’s Next
The Marseille prosecutor opened a theft investigation into an organised gang, and the national office for trafficking in cultural goods joined the probe.
The BBC said the town hall confirmed six suspects were arrested in relation with the heist, and it reported that the planned press conference was cancelled.
The mayor said the recovered works were “far more than works of art. They are part of our city's history, our cultural heritage and the legacy Auguste Renoir left to Cagnes-sur-Mer,” and he praised authorities for recovering the paintings.
El País reported that police recovered the two Renoir works and said they were found in a garage and apparently in good condition, while it also said six people were arrested in the departments of Hérault and Jura by the Investigation and Intervention Brigade (BRI).
El País added that two suspects were suspected of having committed the theft on September 8, and it said the robbery was filmed by security cameras showing the timeline from 5:48 a.m.