Italian authorities announced on Friday that they have successfully recovered three invaluable artworks by Renoir, Cezanne, and Matisse. The pieces, worth millions of euros, were stolen earlier this year from a private museum located near Parma in northern Italy.
According to a statement from the Carabinieri’s specialized art recovery unit, the artworks were located during prosecutor-led searches. While the specific details of the discovery remain undisclosed, the investigation into the matter remains active.
In a separate development, Brazilian police reported on Thursday that they had recovered eight stolen Matisse works following a raid on an apartment on the outskirts of Sao Paulo. These two law enforcement operations appear to be unrelated.
The three recovered Italian pieces include Auguste Renoir’s “Fish,” Paul Cezanne’s pencil and watercolor “Still Life with Cherries,” and Henri Matisse’s color aquatint “Odalisque on the Terrace.”
Estimates value the Cezanne at €6 million (US$7 million), the Renoir at €3 million, and the Matisse at €20,000.
The original theft occurred at the Magnani Rocca Foundation, situated approximately 20km (12 miles) from Parma. Police reported that the thieves gained entry by forcing open the museum’s entrance door during the night of March 22-23.
Local reports indicate the heist was exceptionally swift, with the perpetrators seizing the paintings and fleeing through the museum gardens in under three minutes.
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