Two oil paintings by Pierre-Auguste Renoir that were stolen from a municipal museum in the French Riviera town of Cagnes-sur-Mer have been recovered, the town’s mayor announced Friday, confirming reports that followed a series of coordinated arrests across the country.
The recovery marks a rare positive outcome in a high-profile art theft case, contrasting sharply with the audacious Louvre heist that gripped France nearly a year ago.
Daring Early-Morning Heist
On September 8, two burglars broke into the Renoir Museum shortly before 6 a.m., sawed through the mountings of four paintings, and fled with two of the works, abandoning the other two in the garden.
According to Mayor Bryan Masson of the National Rally (RN), the commando team was “well-equipped and well-informed.” They cut a hole in the fence to enter the tree-lined grounds of the villa, smashed a window to get inside the building, and used an electric hacksaw to cut the frames from their mountings.
A municipal police patrol, alerted by the alarm system, arrived within minutes, likely forcing the thieves to rush. They managed to escape with two Renoir oils — Madame Colonna Romano and Jeune femme au puits — but had to abandon the portraits Madame Pichon and Coco lisant, the famous depiction of the painter’s son with long blond hair.
The museum is housed in the villa where the Impressionist master Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841–1919) spent the final years of his life.
Coordinated Arrests Across Four Departments
On Thursday, several media outlets reported the coordinated arrest of six individuals, including the two suspected burglars, across the Alpes-Maritimes, Var, Hérault, and Doubs departments. A source close to the investigation confirmed five arrests to AFP.
“These two paintings are not mere works of art. They belong to the history of our town, to our heritage, and to the legacy left by Auguste Renoir to Cagnes-sur-Mer. Knowing they have been found is an immense relief,” Masson said in a statement.
The location where the works were discovered and their current condition have not been disclosed.
Context of Museum Security Concerns
The theft occurred nearly a year after the spectacular Louvre heist in central Paris, during which eight crown jewels of France were stolen from the Apollo Gallery, including Empress Eugénie’s diadem, which was later found severely damaged. The Louvre loss was estimated at 88 million euros.
The Cagnes-sur-Mer burglary reignited debate over the security of French museums, several of which have suffered high-profile break-ins in recent months. In a 33-measure plan unveiled in July, the Culture Ministry recommended temporarily removing certain pieces from display cases “pending the securing of their presentation.”
After initially citing damages of 9 million euros for all four paintings, the town hall did not specify the estimated value of the two stolen works.
