Summary
Four valuable paintings by the artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir were stolen during a break-in at the Renoir Museum in southern France. Two of the paintings were recovered, but two are still missing after the thieves fled when the museum alarm went off.Key Facts
- The theft happened at the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer early on Tuesday morning.
- Four Renoir paintings, each worth about €9 million ($10.4 million), were targeted.
- Thieves dropped two paintings in the museum garden while escaping; these were recovered.
- The two missing paintings are Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano (1910) and Jeune fille au puits (1886).
- The recovered paintings are Portrait of Madame Pichon (1895) and Coco Lisant (1905).
- Police arrived within five minutes of the alarm sounding at 05:48 local time.
- The thieves wore helmets, gloves, and combat gear and used tools like an electric knife and hacksaw.
- The museum was Renoir’s last home and holds 12 of his artworks, along with his personal items.
