Thieves stole four paintings from the Renoir Museum in southern France early Tuesday, with two works later found abandoned in the museum gardens.
The stolen artworks were valued at around €9 million ($10 million), according to local authorities. However, the burglars reportedly fled quickly after alarms and police sirens alerted them.
Thieves Escape With Four Paintings
Bryan Masson, mayor of Cagnes-sur-Mer, said the thieves entered the museum and targeted four of its 12 Renoir works.
“The museum and police sirens forced the burglars to hurry, stealing only four works from the Renoir Museum out of the twelve the museum holds,” Masson said.
He added that two of the four stolen paintings were “left behind in the gardens of the Renoir museum”.
The museum sits about 30 minutes from Nice and occupies Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s final home. The French Impressionist painter lived there before his death in 1919.
According to the museum’s website, its collection includes nine Renoir paintings. It also features his sculptures, furniture and personal belongings, including his easel and wheelchair.
France Faces Growing Museum Security Concerns
Authorities responded within five minutes after the museum alarm activated at 5:48am.
“The museum alarm went off at 5:48am. At 5:53am, just five minutes later, our municipal police were on the scene,” Masson said.
The latest robbery adds to growing concerns about security at French museums. Recent thefts have raised questions about whether criminal groups view cultural institutions as easy targets.
Meanwhile, authorities continue searching for jewellery stolen from the Louvre during a seven-minute heist last year.
Italian police also recovered Renoir, Cezanne and Matisse paintings worth more than $10.4 million in August. The artworks had been stolen during a three-minute museum robbery in March.
France has faced major art thefts before. In 1911, Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre. Police recovered it two years later after the thief attempted to sell the masterpiece.
