Paris, Sept. 8 (LaPresse) – Four works by Auguste Renoir, with an estimated value of around 9 million euros, were stolen from the museum dedicated to the Impressionist painter in Cagnes-sur-Mer, on the French Riviera. The theft took place shortly before 6 this morning, when two individuals managed to enter the premises and remove four paintings from the walls. The estimated value of the works was provided by the mayor of Cagnes-sur-Mer, Bryan Masson. According to local newspaper Nice-Matin, the thieves allegedly cut through a fence to enter the museum, taking advantage of the security staff’s shift change. The alarm was triggered at 5:48 a.m. and police arrived at the scene about five minutes later, but the two had already managed to flee. During their escape, the perpetrators dropped one of the stolen works. It is not yet clear whether the painting was damaged. The two were captured by the city’s surveillance cameras and are still being sought. An inventory of the museum is underway, while the investigation has been entrusted to the Cagnes-sur-Mer police. “These are particularly serious events,” Masson commented, according to whom “attacking the Renoir museum means attacking a part of the history and heritage of Cagnes-sur-Mer.” The Renoir Museum, also known as the Domaine des Collettes, has been dedicated to the painter since 1960. The museum houses original works by Renoir, as well as furniture, personal belongings, drawings and lithographs, and is recognized as a ‘Musée de France’.
France, 4 Renoir paintings stolen from museum on the French Riviera: value €9 million
Paris, Sept. 8 (LaPresse) – Four works by Auguste Renoir, with an estimated value of around 9 million euros, were stolen from the museum dedicated to the Impressionist painter in Cagnes-sur-Mer, on the French Riviera. The theft took place shortly before 6 this morning, when two individuals managed to enter the premises and remove four paintings from the walls. The estimated value of the works was provided by the mayor of Cagnes-sur-Mer, Bryan Masson. According to local newspaper Nice-Matin, the thieves allegedly cut through a fence to enter the museum, taking advantage of the security staff’s shift change. The alarm was triggered at 5:48 a.m. and police arrived at the scene about five minutes later, but the two had already managed to flee. During their escape, the perpetrators dropped one of the stolen works. It is not yet clear whether the painting was damaged. The two were captured by the city’s surveillance cameras and are still being sought. An inventory of the museum is underway, while the investigation has been entrusted to the Cagnes-sur-Mer police. “These are particularly serious events,” Masson commented, according to whom “attacking the Renoir museum means attacking a part of the history and heritage of Cagnes-sur-Mer.” The Renoir Museum, also known as the Domaine des Collettes, has been dedicated to the painter since 1960. The museum houses original works by Renoir, as well as furniture, personal belongings, drawings and lithographs, and is recognized as a ‘Musée de France’.