Two thieves broke into the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer early Tuesday, stealing four paintings by French impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir.
Early Morning Heist on the French Riviera
The museum’s alarm system triggered at 5:48 a.m. on Tuesday, drawing municipal police to the scenic property in Cagnes-sur-Mer just five minutes later at 5:53 a.m. Located on a hill in Cagnes-sur-Mer, near Nice, the museum is situated between Cannes and Nice on the Mediterranean coast and occupies the last home where Pierre-Auguste Renoir lived before his death in 1919. The museum was created in 1960 in the mansion of the impressionist painter, and its collection on display includes 13 paintings from the master and some 40 sculptures, furniture and photographs, including objects and furniture that belonged to Renoir like his easel and wheelchair, as well as portraits, landscapes and nudes painted by the artist.
Surveillance camera footage identified two people entering the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer and stealing four paintings. French media reported that the thieves may have broken into the museum by breaking a window, a little before 6 a.m. local time according to the local mayor’s Facebook page. Cagnes-sur-Mer mayor Bryan Masson — who belongs to the National Rally, Marine Le Pen’s far-right party, and was elected mayor in March — stated that the town’s video surveillance cameras spotted the two individuals.
“This morning, two individuals broke into the Renoir Museum and stole four works of art,” said Bryan Masson, the mayor of Cagnes-sur-Mer.
The Stolen Masterpieces and Recovered Artworks
Local newspaper Nice-Matin reported that the stolen works included Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano, “Coco Lisant” and Young Girl at the Well, and that the overall worth of the stolen paintings is US$10.5 million. Meanwhile, Masson’s office estimated the value of the stolen works at €9m (£7.7m). Renoir’s most valuable works have fetched dozens of millions of dollars at auctions in the past, though Masson did not identify all the paintings that were stolen in his initial statements.
As police spotted the thieves and chased them, the suspects dropped one painting during the pursuit. Masson told local newspaper Nice-Matin that two of the stolen paintings were found in the museum’s garden after the thieves fled, while the raiders escaped with the other three.
“Spotted thanks to the town’s video surveillance cameras, the two individuals fled, abandoning one of the stolen paintings as they ran,” said Masson.
Bryan Masson
Broader Security Concerns Across European Museums
An official with the regional police administration confirmed the theft to The Associated Press along with the hunt for suspects, and said an investigation is underway. The official, who wasn’t authorized to be publicly named according to police policy, couldn’t confirm the value of the paintings. French media reported that the police organised crime squad was handling the case, and the museum was closed Tuesday while the investigation unfolded.
Photo: CP24
“Attacking the Renoir museum is attacking a part of the history and heritage of Cagnes-sur-Mer. These actions are particularly serious,” Masson said in his message, adding that the museum is the most famous attraction in Cagnes-sur-Mer.
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Masson called for greater security measures for museums around France. The theft comes less than a year after the spectacular heist of crown jewels at the Louvre Museum in Paris last year. In that daylight robbery, eight items valued at about €88m ($141.5 million) were stolen as thieves threatened guards and visitors, taking items such as Empress Eugenie’s tiara. The four suspected Louvre robbers have been arrested, but the stolen items have not been found despite extensive searches by French investigators in the Paris region, and exchanges with police in Belgium, Italy and beyond.
Pan-European police body Europol stated last month that art thieves in Europe are committing more violent robberies and specialist gangs have been replaced by ad hoc opportunists recruited through social media, with the heist at the Louvre Museum in Paris serving as a prime example of this trend.
