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Renoir Museum in France Hit by Art Heist, Four Works Stolen
Confirmed
In Short: Two thieves broke into a museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer, France, stealing four artworks by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, with one dropped during the escape.
Thieves broke into the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer, France, in the early hours of the morning, stealing four artworks by the French impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir. According to the mayor of Cagnes-sur-Mer, Bryan Masson, the museum alarm went off at 5:48 am, and the municipal police were on the scene just five minutes later. Among the stolen works, one was abandoned by the thieves as they fled the scene.
The stolen paintings are part of the museum's collection, which includes objects and furniture that belonged to Renoir, as well as his easel and wheelchair, and various portraits, landscapes, and nudes. The mayor estimated the total value of the stolen works to be 9 million euros ($10 million).
The theft comes less than a year after €88 million worth of jewelry was stolen from the Louvre in Paris, where thieves used a stolen vehicle-mounted mechanical lift to gain access to the museum. In the latest heist, the thieves reportedly cut through wire fencing to enter the grounds of the Renoir museum and may have broken a window to gain entry.
According to reports, art thieves in Europe are committing more violent robberies, often carried out by opportunists recruited via social media, as highlighted by a recent Europol report. The museum, located on an estate where Renoir spent the last years of his life, is just a short drive from the city of Nice.
What's confirmed
What's still developing
- Among the items stolen in the Louvre heist were a diamond and an emerald necklace Emperor Napoleon gave to his wife.