Two suspects broke into the Musée Renoir in the southern French town of Cagnes-sur-Mer on Tuesday, making off with four artworks estimated to be worth 9 million euros ($10 million). Local mayor Bryan Masson confirmed the incident, stating that surveillance footage captured the pair as they fled the scene.
“This morning, two individuals broke into the Renoir Museum and stole four works of art,” Masson said. He noted that the thieves abandoned one of the paintings as they ran, but successfully escaped with the remaining three pieces.
The museum, located in the painter’s final residence before his death in 1919, was established in 1960. Its holdings include personal artifacts such as Renoir’s easel and wheelchair, alongside his portraits, landscapes, and nudes.
Rapid response units arrived at the scene shortly after the alarm was triggered at 5:48 a.m. “At 5:53am, just five minutes later, our municipal police were on the scene,” the mayor added.
This theft occurs less than a year after a high-profile daylight robbery at the Louvre in Paris, where eight items valued at approximately $100 million were stolen. While four suspects have been arrested in connection with the Louvre heist, the stolen artworks, including a tiara once worn by Empress Eugénie, remain missing despite extensive searches across France and cooperation with law enforcement in Belgium and Italy.
After the Louvre heist last year, you would think security would be tighter everywhere. How did they get in so easily?
I wonder if the dropped painting was damaged? Hope it can be restored, even if it was left on the ground.
Nine million euros? That is absolutely outrageous. I visit museums for free and they still can’t secure the building?
Leaving one painting behind is the most careless exit strategy ever. These thieves need better training.