In brief
Two Impressionist masterpieces were lifted from the Renoir Museum in Cagnes‑sur‑Mer, prompting a swift police response and a painful reminder of rising art‑theft risks across Europe. The thieves entered through a cut fence, bypassed frame‑hanging structures, and were equipped with electric knives and hacksaws, according to mayor Bryan Masson. While the paintings "Portrait of Madame Pichon" and "Coco Lisant" have been recovered, the iconic "Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano" and "Jeune fille au puits" remain missing, highlighting the vulnerability of small regional museums.
Two thieves entered the Renoir Museum in Cagnes‑sur‑Mer early Tuesday, taking four paintings but dropping two in the gardens as they fled.
Each crime victim is valued at €9 million (£7.7 million; $10.4 million), the latest headline in a string of recent European heists that have put art‑museum security under scrutiny.
The burglars breached the museum’s perimeter by cutting a fence, then slit the wooden frames used to secure the works. Alarm systems were triggered at 05:48; police arrived within five minutes, yet the gang escaped while the alarms blared.
Mayor Bryan Masson described the attackers as “well‑equipped” and “well‑informed”, noting they wore helmets, gloves, combat gear and wielded an electric knife and a hacksaw.
Investigators recovered two zip‑up bags believed to belong to the suspects and later found two paintings abandoned in the gardens, which are now back in museum custody.
The missing works are:
- Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano (1910)
- Jeune fille au puits (1886)
The recovered pieces are:
- Portrait of Madame Pichon (1895)
- Coco Lisant (1905)
Masson warned that an assault on the Renoir Museum is a direct assault on Cagnes‑sur‑Mer’s heritage, urging the French government to provide additional funding for local museums to curb the surge in organised art crime.
The museum, opened in 1960 as the former home of painter Pierre‑Auguste Renoir, houses 12 of his works along with personal artifacts such as his easel and wheelchair. Its role as a cultural hub makes it a high‑profile target in the evolving landscape of art theft.
