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Two Renoir Paintings Recovered After Museum Heist
Confirmed
In Short: Two Renoir paintings stolen from a museum in southern France have been recovered, and six suspects arrested.
Two Renoir paintings stolen from a museum in southern France last month have been recovered, and six people arrested, according to local authorities, as reported by ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos and KTVN.
The mayor of the town housing the Renoir Museum, Bryan Masson, praised investigators who tracked down the paintings and suspects, as stated by ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos and KTVN.
The stolen paintings were identified as 'Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano' and 'Young Woman at the Well,' as reported by ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos and The Tribune-Democrat.
AFP, Arabnews (Saudi Arabia), and CBS News reported that the Renoir Museum lies a half-hour drive from the southern city of Nice, in Renoir's last home before he died aged 78 in 1919.
In September, thieves broke into the museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer and managed to escape with two works by the French impressionist painter, abandoning two others as they fled, according to AFP, Arabnews (Saudi Arabia), and CBS News.
The mayor of Cagnes-sur-Mer, Bryan Masson, emphasized the historical significance of the paintings, stating, 'These two paintings are not simply works of art. They are part of our city's history,' as reported by AFP, Arabnews (Saudi Arabia), and CBS News.
The thieves cut through a fence, smashed a window, and used an electric saw to cut through the frame mountings, as described by AFP, Arabnews (Saudi Arabia), and CBS News.
The BBC (United Kingdom) and DW (Germany) praised the authorities for recovering the paintings but did not reveal how they were found.
The BBC (United Kingdom) reported that the museum houses 12 of Renoir's artworks, while DW (Germany) noted that authorities did not respond to questions about how the paintings were recovered.
The Independent (United Kingdom) and DW (Germany) highlighted that the heist was part of a string of such robberies in France, including the daylight theft of crown jewels from the Louvre in Paris.
The BBC (United Kingdom) and The Guardian reported that the stolen paintings were valued at 9 million euros ($10.5m), but art theft experts said they would be extremely hard to sell.
The mayor of Cagnes-sur-Mer, Bryan Masson, said, 'Knowing they have been recovered is an immense relief,' as reported by AFP, Arabnews (Saudi Arabia), and CBS News.
What this adds
The BBC (United Kingdom) reported that the museum was created in 1960 in the mansion of the artist on a hill in Cagnes-sur-Mer, near Nice, where Renoir died in 1919.
The Independent (United Kingdom) noted that the museum houses 13 paintings and about 40 sculptures made by Renoir, including his easel and wheelchair.
Background
Two Renoir paintings stolen from a museum in southern France have been recovered, and six suspects arrested.
What's confirmed
- PARIS -- Two Renoir paintings stolen from a museum in southern France last month have been found, and six people arrested, local authorities said Friday.
- The mayor of the town housing the Renoir Museum, Bryan Masson, issued a statement praising investigators who tracked down the paintings and suspects.
- Two paintings by French master Pierre-Auguste Renoir have been recovered a month after they were stolen from a museum in southern France, the town's mayor said Friday.
- The Renoir Museum lies a half-hour drive from the southern city of Nice, in Renoir's last home before he died aged 78 in 1919.
- In September, thieves broke into the museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer and managed to escape with two works by the French impressionist painter, abandoning two others as they fled.
- "These two paintings are not simply works of art. They are part of our city's history," said Bryan Masson, the mayor of Cagnes-sur-Mer.
- The suspects cut through a fence to enter the museum's tree-lined grounds, smashed a window to get inside, and used an electric saw to cut through the frame mountings, Masson said at the time of the robbery in early September.
- The works, Jeune fille au puits and Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano, were stolen last month Two paintings by Auguste Renoir stolen a month ago from a museum in the south of France have been recovered, the local town hall has said.
- Earlier this year paintings by Renoir, Paul Cézanne and Henri Matisse were stolen from a museum near the Italian city of Parma, in a raid that lasted just three minutes.
- The thieves sliced through a fence, climbed through a window and initally stole four valuable Renoir paintings in the heist last month, but abandoned two of the artworks as they fled, authorities said.
- Thieves made off with two valuable Renoir paintings after breaking into a small museum on the French Riviera early Tuesday, dropping two other stolen works in the garden as police raced to the scene, officials said.
- Two thieves broke into the museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer, near Nice, a little before 6am (0400 GMT) and took four paintings, Mayor Bryan Masson said in a post on social media on Tuesday.
What's still developing
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- Disguised as construction workers, the thieves broke into the Louvre's first-floor Apollo Gallery during the museum's opening hours.
- France's culture minister Catherine Pégard issued a statement at the time of the burglary indicating that the four paintings taken from the Renoir Museum were part of the Musée d'Orsay collection in Paris, and have been on loan in Cagnes-sur-Mer since 1995.
- FILE - The entrance of the Renoir Museum is pictured after thieves stole four valuable Renoir paintings, in Cagnes-sur-Mer, Tuesday, Sept.
- Agence France-Presse (AFP) is a global news agency that provides reliable, comprehensive, real-time coverage of the stories shaping our daily lives, drawing on a unique network of journalists based in 210 locations around the world.
- “The museum alarm went off at 5:48 am [03:48 GMT]. At 5:53 am [03:53 GMT], just five minutes later, our municipal police were at the scene,” he said.
- Thieves stole four paintings from the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer on the French Riviera, the local mayor said, but dropped two of them in the gardens as police, alerted by alarms, gave chase early Tuesday.
- The whole operation took less than three minutes an d targeted the most valuable works in the Renoir Museum in the town of Cagnes-sur-Mer, the regional prosecutor’s office said.
- The mayor of Cagnes-sur-Mer, Bryan Masson, said: "We will dedicate all necessary resources to better protect this heritage, which belongs to all the residents of Cagnes."