Two paintings by the French impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir that were stolen from a museum on the French Riviera a month ago have been recovered, according to the mayor of Cagnes-sur-Mer, who spoke on Friday 9 October. France 24, reporting with AFP, said the mayor also reported that six suspects have been arrested.
What Was Taken
The theft took place in early September at the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer, shortly before 6am, France 24 reported. Mayor Bryan Masson said at the time that the thieves cut through a fence, smashed a window and used an electric saw on the frame mountings. They took a portrait titled “Madame Colonna Romano” and the work “Jeune femme au puits”, a depiction of a woman at a well, according to the mayor’s office. Two other works, “Madame Pichon” and “Coco lisant”, a portrait of Renoir’s young son Claude reading, were dropped as the thieves fled. According to Masson, the museum alarm and police sirens forced the burglars to hurry; he described them as “well equipped and well informed” about the building.
Masson said the recovery was an immense relief and that the paintings are part of the city’s history. France 24 noted that there had been no statement yet from the police, and that the mayor gave no details on where the works were found or in what condition. It reported that a source close to the investigation told AFP earlier this week that five people had been arrested. Those detained are suspects, and no charges were reported in the source.
The Museum
According to France 24, the museum is about a half-hour drive from Nice and stands in Renoir’s last home, where he died aged 78 in 1919. The museum says its collection includes nine paintings by Renoir, as well as several sculptures and objects that belonged to him, such as his easel and wheelchair.
The outlet placed the theft in the context of several recent heists at French and European museums. It cited the theft of crown jewellery valued at around $100 million from the Louvre last year, noting that four suspects have been arrested but the jewels have not been found, and the recovery in August by Italian police of paintings by Renoir, Cezanne and Matisse worth more than $10.4 million, stolen in March.
Why It Matters
The recovery is a relief for a small museum that holds a rare collection in the painter’s own home. The case also feeds a wider conversation, noted by France 24, about whether museum security is adequate and whether criminal gangs see cultural institutions as soft targets.
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