Overview
- Two masked suspects cut a perimeter fence and entered the Musée Renoir in Cagnes‑sur‑Mer in the early hours of Tuesday, seized four paintings and fled when the museum alarm sounded at 05:48 and police arrived minutes later.
- Museum staff and police recovered two paintings abandoned in the museum grounds during the thieves’ flight while the works 'Madame Colonna Romano' and 'Jeune femme au puits' remain missing and are being actively sought.
- The Subdirectorate for the Fight against Organized Crime and Specialized Delinquency (DCOS) has taken over the probe and municipal and national police are coordinating searches using video footage and on‑site evidence.
- Local officials estimate the four works are worth about €9 million, note some pieces were on loan from Musée d’Orsay, and have closed the museum while calling for immediate security upgrades.
- The theft follows a string of recent high‑profile museum robberies in France and has renewed pressure on the government to implement stronger protections recommended in the Ministry of Culture’s summer security plan.