Thieves made off with four paintings from the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer on the French Riviera, as confirmed by the local mayor. However, during a police pursuit triggered by alarms, two of the stolen artworks were dropped in the gardens early on Tuesday.
The stolen paintings, including “Madame Colonna Romano” and “Young Woman at the Well,” are highly valuable pieces by the renowned impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir. These artworks, on loan from Paris’s Musée d’Orsay, were part of the collection at the Renoir Museum.
According to Mayor Bryan Masson, the thieves unlawfully entered the museum before 6 a.m. by creating an opening in a garden fence to steal the four paintings, marking another bold art theft in the country. Masson emphasized the gravity of the situation, stating that targeting the Renoir Museum equates to an attack on the history and heritage of Cagnes-sur-Mer.
The two other stolen paintings, “Madame Pichon” and “Coco Reading,” depicting Claude, the son of the famous Impressionist artist, were also taken but were dropped in the gardens as the authorities closed in, as confirmed by Masson and the Marseille prosecutor’s office.
An investigation into the organized theft by a criminal gang has been initiated by the Marseille prosecutor. The Renoir Museum, situated in the mansion where Renoir lived and passed away in 1919, boasts a collection of 13 paintings by the master, along with various sculptures, furniture, and photographs.
Recent reports suggest a rise in violent art robberies in Europe, with Europol highlighting a shift from specialist gangs to ad hoc criminals recruited through social media. The 2025 heist at the Louvre Museum in Paris, where €88 million worth of jewels were stolen, exemplifies this trend, leading to increased pressure on the French government to enhance museum security measures.
Masson, affiliated with the far-right National Rally (RN) party, called for improved security across museums in France, emphasizing the need to safeguard artworks from the evolving forms of criminal activities targeting cultural treasures. A 2024 survey by the French Culture Ministry revealed deficiencies in emergency and risk management plans at museums, with a significant number lacking video surveillance systems.
