It is the latest in a string of high-profile art thefts in Europe that has again put the security of museums and galleries in the spotlight.
By Nexvoro Tech Wire
PUBLISHED TUE, SEP 8, 2026 5:41 PM UTC • 6 MIN READ
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Two paintings by the impressionist artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir have been stolen from a museum in the south of France.
Two thieves broke into the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer early on Tuesday, seizing four paintings but dropping two of the works in the museum gardens as they escaped, local Mayor Bryan Masson said.
The paintings, each worth â¬9m (£7.7m; $10.4m), are the latest high-profile pieces to have been stolen in a string of recent heists in Europe which have thrust the security of art in galleries and museums into the spotlight.
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One of the most high-profile was in October last year, when a brazen heist at the Louvre Museum in Paris saw France's priceless crown jewels being stolen.
CCTV footage captured the thieves entering the Renoir museum gardens by cutting through a fence before they cut through structures holding the paintings' frames in place, the local mayor said.
The alarm went off at 05:48 (05:48 GMT), and police were at the scene within five minutes, Masson explained, saying the thieves fled the scene upon hearing the security alarms.
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He later told reporters that the thieves seemed to be "well-equipped" and "well-informed".
They were "wearing helmets, gloves, and combat gear" and carrying "an electric knife and hacksaw," he added.
Investigators have found two zip-up bags at the scene, which may have belonged to the suspects.
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Image source, Musée Renoir Image caption, Jeune fille au puits and Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano are still missing
The mayor said that two paintings were "abandoned" in the gardens and have now been recovered.
"Attacking the Renoir Museum is attacking a part of the history and heritage of Cagnes-sur-Mer," the mayor told reporters at the museum.
"It's Renoir's, it is priceless, you cannot sell it like that," he said.
Image source, Musée Renoir Image caption, The thieves dropped Coco Lisant and Portrait of Madame Pichon when they fled - one was found hours later in the museum's garden
The Renoir Museum is home to 12 of the famous painter's artworks.
Reporting synthesized and verified under Nexvoro.tech editorial guidelines. Full primary records referenced via BBC World.
Reporting synthesized under Nexvoro.tech Editorial Standards • Referenced via BBC World
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