"Stole 14.7 Billion Won in 3 Minutes"—But Masterpieces Found in an Ordinary Apartment: What Happened?

Broke into the museum in March and stole three works
Discovered in a Parma apartment... Estimated value of 9 million euros

Three paintings by Paul Cezanne, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Henri Matisse, which had been stolen from an art museum near Parma in northern Italy, have all been recovered approximately five months after the theft.

According to AP and other sources, citing the Carabinieri (the national gendarmerie) of the Italian Department for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, the three stolen works were found and retrieved on the 14th (local time) in an apartment in Parma.

The recovered works are Cezanne's 'Still Life with Cherries and Cup (Tasse et plat de cerises)', Renoir's 'Les Poissons (The Fish)', and Matisse's 'Odalisque sur la Terrasse (Odalisque on the Terrace)'. The estimated combined value of the three pieces exceeds 9 million euros (approximately 14.7 billion won).

Paul Cezanne's 'Still Life with Cherries and Cup (Tasse et plat de cerises)'. Manyani Roca Foundation

The three paintings had been housed at the Manyani Roca Foundation art museum in Mamiano di Traversetolo, about 20 kilometers from Parma, and were stolen during the night between March 22 and 23. The perpetrators forcibly opened the entrance of the museum and broke in, then took the paintings one by one from the 'French Painters' Room' located not on the first floor but on an upper floor. Security cameras captured masked individuals removing the paintings and fleeing the scene; the entire theft took less than three minutes.

At that time, the thieves targeted several works including Renoir's painting, but were unable to complete their plan as the alarm was triggered. One additional Renoir work was abandoned during the escape. Police believe that professional art thieves had planned the robbery in advance and launched an investigation.

During the investigation, tools and a fire extinguisher left at the scene served as clues. The Carabinieri investigative team tracked the movements of those involved and carried out a search and seizure at a house in Parma, where they discovered the stolen paintings.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir's 'Les Poissons (The Fish)'. Manyani Roca Foundation

Currently, several individuals of Moldovan nationality are under investigation in connection with the theft, and some have been reported arrested. The police are further investigating how the artworks were recovered and each person's role in the crime.

Among the three paintings, Cezanne's work is valued at about 6 million euros, Renoir's 'Les Poissons' at about 3 million euros, and the value of Matisse's painting is estimated at a comparatively lower 20,000 euros. However, given the significance of all three artists in art history, experts believe the works would have been very difficult to circulate in the international art market after they were stolen.

The Manyani Roca Foundation was established based on the lifelong collection of works by Luigi Magnani, an art critic and musicologist. It also houses masterpieces by artists such as Titian, Goya, Monet, and Rubens, making it one of Italy's foremost private art collections.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.