Renoir Museum Heist: Four Paintings Stolen, One Abandoned

Two thieves broke into the Renoir Museum in southern France, stealing four artworks and abandoning one as they fled, according to the mayor of Cagnes-sur-Mer.

Bryan Masson, the far‑right mayor of Cagnes-sur-Mer, said the intruders were captured on the town’s surveillance cameras, fled the scene, and left one painting behind. His office valued the stolen works at €9 million (£7.7 million).

The museum, opened in 1960 in Renoir’s former residence, houses the artist’s personal belongings—including his easel and wheelchair—alongside his portraits, landscapes, and nudes.

The alarm was triggered at 5:48 am, and municipal police arrived on the scene just five minutes later, at 5:53 am.

This theft follows a recent daylight robbery at the Louvre, where eight items worth approximately €88 million were taken. Four suspects have been arrested, but the stolen artworks remain missing despite extensive searches by French investigators and cooperation with authorities in Belgium, Italy, and other countries.

Europol has noted a rise in violent art thefts across Europe, with opportunistic gangs recruited via social media replacing traditional specialist groups.

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