Paintings Stolen from Renoir Museum Found... Two Recovered After a Month

Broke through fence and entered before dawn last month
Six suspects arrested during police investigation
Recovery location and condition of paintings undisclosed

Two paintings by French Impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir, stolen from the Renoir Museum in southern France, have been recovered about a month after the theft. Six suspects have also been arrested in connection with the case.

On October 9 local time, the Associated Press and other news outlets reported that Brian Masson, mayor of Cagnes-sur-Mer, had announced the recovery of the two Renoir works that went missing from the museum last month. In a statement, Mayor Masson said, "This news brings great joy and relief to Cagnes-sur-Mer and its residents."

The Renoir Museum in southern France, where the theft took place. Yonhap News.

The stolen works are "Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano," painted in 1910, and "Young Woman at the Well," painted in 1886. Both works belong to the Musée d'Orsay in Paris and were on loan for an exhibition at the Renoir Museum.

The theft took place at around 5:48 a.m. on September 8. Two perpetrators cut a hole in the fence around the museum garden and entered the building through a window. They used tools including a power saw to cut through the devices securing the paintings to their frames, then removed four works.

Two of the paintings were abandoned in the garden as police, alerted by an alarm, arrived at the scene and pursued the perpetrators. The other two were taken as the perpetrators fled. At the time, city authorities estimated the value of the four paintings initially stolen at 9 million euros (about 14 billion won).

The theft is believed to have been completed in less than three minutes. Police launched an investigation immediately after the theft and tracked the perpetrators' identities and movements. Six suspects were later arrested during the investigation, and authorities are examining how they were involved in the crime.

“Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano” (left) and “Young Woman at the Well.” Renoir Museum

However, the exact location and circumstances in which the paintings were found, as well as their condition, have not been disclosed. Mayor Masson canceled a planned news conference to avoid affecting the investigation. Police and prosecutors have also not provided details about the recovery.

The Renoir Museum is housed in the artist's former residence in Cagnes-sur-Mer, in southern France, where he spent the final years of his life. Renoir lived there until his death in 1919 at the age of 78. The museum is a cultural heritage site showcasing the artist's work and life, and the paintings stolen in this case were among its major works on display.

Last year, royal jewels were stolen from the Louvre Museum in Paris. They have not yet been recovered. In March this year, works by Renoir, Paul Cézanne and Henri Matisse were stolen from the Magnani-Rocca Foundation Museum in Parma, northern Italy, but were recovered several months later.

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