Four Renoir paintings worth millions stolen in French museum heist
It is the latest in a string of high-profile art thefts in Europe that has again put the security of museums and galleries in the spotlight.
Two Renoir paintings, "Madame Colonna Romano" and "Jeune femme au puits," were stolen from the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer, southern France, in a swift robbery on September 8. Initially, the duo intended to take four of the artist's works, but dropped two in the garden before fleeing. The heist lasted just five minutes, and the thieves were described as "well equipped and well informed" by Cagnes-sur-Mer's Mayor Bryan Masson.
They used an electric saw to breach the museum's fence and secure the paintings. Police caught up to the thieves on foot and recovered two of the paintings, but the other two remain missing. The combined value of the stolen works, including the two recovered, is estimated at €9 million ($10.5 million). This incident highlights the escalating threats that museums face across Europe, with crimes becoming more aggressive, as reported by Europol.
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