Overview
- Two masked thieves forced entry through a hole cut in the museum garden fence in the early hours of Tuesday, setting off the alarm at 5:48 a.m. and prompting municipal police to arrive five minutes later.
- The pair used an electric saw to cut frame fixtures and took four Renoir paintings, abandoning one or two during a hurried getaway; authorities recovered paintings in the museum garden while two remain missing.
- Local and national police launched an active manhunt and investigators from France’s Sub‑Directorate for Combating Organised Crime and Specialised Delinquency are leading the probe.
- The mayor of Cagnes‑sur‑Mer estimated the stolen works at about €9 million and closed the museum while calling for state-backed security upgrades for provincial institutions.
- The raid renews concern over a wave of brazen European art thefts and follows recent measures from France’s Culture Ministry and successful recoveries in Italy that used CCTV, forensics and cross‑border cooperation.