Two Renoir paintings stolen from French museum are recovered

Two paintings by Auguste Renoir that were stolen from a museum in southern France have been recovered, the local municipality confirmed. The works were taken on 8 September when thieves cut through a barrier and shattered a display at the Renoir Museum in Cagnes‑sur‑Mer, the town where the impressionist spent his final years. Officials praised the police for the retrieval, noting that the outcome brought considerable joy and relief. Six individuals have been detained in connection with the heist, according to a municipal statement. The incident adds to a series of high‑profile art thefts across Europe. The missing pieces are the Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano (1910) and Jeune fille au puits (1886). Investigators said the perpetrators used an electric saw to sever the frame mountings inside the storage area, initially carrying away four paintings before abandoning two in the museum’s grounds while fleeing. Further details of the recovery are scheduled to be released early Friday. The Renoir Museum holds twelve of the artist’s works. Opened in 1960, it also exhibits his easel, wheelchair, photographs and personal correspondence. Earlier this year a separate theft saw paintings by Renoir, Paul Cézanne and Henri Matisse taken from a depot near Parma, Italy; the raid lasted only three minutes and the items were recovered in August. France’s largest art robbery in recent years occurred last October when crown jewels were stolen in broad daylight from the Louvre in Paris. Disguised as maintenance workers, the thieves entered the Louvre’s first‑floor Apollo Gallery during opening hours, employed an angle‑grinder to force open display cases and escaped with €88 million (£78 million) of jewels that once belonged to 19th‑century queens and empresses. The Louvre subsequently faced criticism for inadequate investment in security. "These 2 paintings are acold much than works of art. They are portion of our city's history, our taste practice and the bequest Auguste Renoir near to Cagnes-sur-Mer," said Mayor Bryan Masson, who is portion of France's National Rally. Read the full story at BBC News →