Four artworks taken in €9m theft from France’s Renoir Museum
Two thieves broke into the museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer before fleeing with four works, one of which was abandoned during the escape.
Two thieves broke into the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer, southern France, on 8 September and took four works of art, according to France 24 International.
One of the works was dropped as the suspects fled, said Bryan Masson, the town’s mayor. Local officials estimated the value of the stolen works at €9 million, though the available report does not clarify whether that figure covers all four works or only those still missing.
The museum alarm was triggered at about 5.48am, and municipal police arrived five minutes later, Masson said. The suspects were seen on municipal surveillance cameras before escaping.
The Renoir Museum occupies Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s final home, where the painter died in 1919. Opened in 1960, it holds his belongings and furniture, including his easel and wheelchair, alongside portraits, landscapes and nudes.
The theft follows a separate robbery at the Louvre in Paris, where eight items reportedly valued at about €100 million were stolen. The two investigations are not reported to be connected.
