Renoir Artworks Worth Millions Stolen in Five-Minute Heist in France
Two thieves carried out an early-morning raid on the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer on Tuesday, taking off with two of the four paintings they targeted.
Renoir's “Madame Colonna Romano” and “Jeune femme au puits" (both images via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)
A pair of thieves made off with two paintings from the Renoir Museum in southern France during a break-in early this morning, September 8. The duo initially stole four of Renoir's paintings from the galleries but dropped two in the museum's garden while being chased by police.
The operation lasted only five minutes, according to a statement from Mayor Bryan Masson of Cagnes-sur-Mer, who told French media that the burglars were “well equipped and well informed,” as the pair used an electric saw to cut through the museum's exterior fence and the clips securing the paintings' frames. The museum's alarm automatically notified the local police, who arrived on the scene and chased the burglars across the property on foot.
The pair made off with Pierre-Auguste Renoir's “Madame Colonna Romano” (c. 1910) and “Jeune femme au puits (Young Woman at the Well)” (c. 1886) — two lesser-known oil paintings by the Impressionist. They tried to take “Madame Stephen Pichon” (c. 1895) and “Coco Lisant” (c. 1905) as well, but ultimately left them behind. Per Masson's office, the value of the combined works, including the two that were not ultimately taken, starts at €9 million ($10.5 million).
Police are investigating the whereabouts of the thieves and the two paintings that remain at large. Still, the museum's proximity to the Mediterranean Sea poses an increased risk of a cold trail.
The Renoir raid is the latest in a spate of museum robberies sweeping across Europe. Just two weeks ago, two thieves smashed a display case and made off with a platinum and diamond necklace at the Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna.
A recent report from Europol warned that thieves are targeting museums and cultural heritage with “more direct and confrontational approaches,” especially highlighting the “growing use of violent force.”
Another one of Renoir's paintings, “Les poissons” (c. 1917), was stolen alongside works by Paul Cezánne and Henri Matisse during a raid at the Magnani Rocca Foundation in Parma, Italy, this March. Museum heists have garnered more media attention since last year's jewel heist at the Louvre.
