At Least Five Arrested Following Renoir Museum Heist in France

French authorities have detained a minimum of five individuals suspected of involvement in the theft of two Pierre-Auguste Renoir paintings, local media report.

Police believe the two suspected intruders may be included in this group.

Two of the masterpieces stolen from the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer, a suburb of Nice, remain unrecovered. During their hurried exit, the thieves abandoned two additional works on the premises.

The robbery represents the latest in a series of high-profile art thefts across Europe, casting renewed scrutiny on museum and gallery security.

The perpetrators cut through a fence to access the museum’s tree-lined grounds at dawn on 8 September, smashed a window to gain entry, and used an electric saw to sever the frame mountings.

The two paintings still missing are the Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano (1910) and Jeune fille au puits (1886).

Nice-Matin, which first reported the arrests, suggests the suspects could be members of an organised criminal gang. Other French outlets, including the newspaper, indicate the arrest toll stands at six.

Local prosecutors have refused to confirm the arrests when contacted by the BBC.

The museum is home to 12 of the painter’s works.

Opened in 1960 in Renoir’s final home before his death in 1919, the museum also features numerous personal items belonging to the artist, including his easel and wheelchair, as well as photographs and letters.

Several European museums and galleries have suffered major thefts in recent months.

In August, paintings by Renoir, Paul Cézanne, and Henri Matisse were stolen from a museum in Italy in a heist lasting just three minutes; the works were subsequently recovered.

One of the most high-profile incidents of this kind occurred last October, when France’s crown jewels were stolen in broad daylight from the Louvre in Paris.

Disguised as construction workers, the thieves entered the Louvre’s first-floor Apollo Gallery during opening hours. Using an angle grinder to pry open display cases, they escaped with €88m (£78m) of jewels once owned by 19th-century queens and empresses.

The Louvre was subsequently criticised for under-investing in security.

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