Thieves grab €9m in artworks from Renoir museum in France but drop one while fleeing

In the early hours of September 8, two individuals broke into the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer, France, and stole four works of art, according to Bryan Masson, the far-right mayor of the town. The stolen pieces were valued at €9 million, a statement released by Masson's office revealed. The thieves were captured on surveillance cameras leaving the museum with one of the stolen paintings in their possession.

Masson stated that police arrived at the scene just five minutes after the alarm was triggered at 5:48 am, with police patrolling the museum's entrance. The museum, established in 1960, houses not only art but also personal items belonging to Renoir, such as his easel and wheelchair, as well as his portraits, landscapes, and nudes.

The mayor also noted that this incident occurred less than a year after a similar massive heist at the Louvre Museum in Paris, where eight items worth approximately US$100 million were stolen during a daylight robbery. Despite extensive searches and cooperation from international police forces, the stolen items from the Louvre have not been recovered.