Two Renoir paintings worth €9m stolen from French museum

Two paintings by Pierre-Auguste Renoir have been stolen from the artist’s museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer, southern France. Mayor Bryan Masson said two thieves entered early on Tuesday and took four works, abandoning two as they fled.

The missing paintings are valued at €9m (£7.7m; $10.4m). Police arrived about five minutes after the alarm was triggered at 05:48 local time (03:48 GMT).

Two Renoir works remain missing

Jeune fille au puits and Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano have not been recovered. The thieves dropped Coco Lisant and Portrait of Madame Pichon in the gardens; both were returned to the museum, with one found several hours later.

CCTV showed the suspects cutting through a fence into the gardens and then severing structures holding the paintings’ frames. Masson said they wore helmets, gloves and combat gear and carried an electric knife and hacksaw.

Investigators found two zip-up bags at the scene that may have belonged to the suspects. Masson said the thieves appeared well-equipped and well-informed, but the source does not report any arrests or confirmed identities.

Renoir’s former home houses 12 works

The museum opened in 1960 in Renoir’s last home; the artist died in 1919. It contains 12 of his artworks, along with his easel, wheelchair, photographs and personal letters.

Masson described the raid as a threat to Cagnes-sur-Mer’s heritage and called for more French government funding for local authorities and museums to protect artworks. His claim that the robbery reflects organised crime is an attributed assessment, not a confirmed investigative finding.

The theft follows several high-profile museum robberies in Europe. Four Renaissance paintings were stolen from a museum in Sicily last month, while French crown jewels were taken from the Louvre in Paris in October last year.