Two Renoir paintings worth €9m stolen from Renoir Museum in France

Two Pierre-Auguste Renoir paintings—reported as Madame Colonna Romano (1910) and Jeune femme au puits (1886)—were stolen from the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer near Nice, with the mayor’s office estimating the missing works’ value as part of €9 million in stolen art. Mayor Bryan Masson said the museum alarm was triggered at 5:48am and municipal police arrived five minutes later; the thieves allegedly cut through a fence wearing helmets, gloves, and combat gear and carrying an electric knife and hacksaw. Two other works reportedly removed but dropped during the escape were Portrait of Madame Stephen Pichon (1895) and Coco Lisant (1905). France’s culture minister Catherine Pégard stated on Tuesday, 8 September, that the four paintings belong to the Musée d’Orsay collection and have been on loan to Cagnes-sur-Mer since 1995, and she reiterated calls for emergency security measures across French museums.

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