Renoir Masterpieces Recovered After Museum Heist

Fri Oct 09 2026 13:55:57 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Two prized Renoir paintings were recovered from a French museum after a daring break‑in last month, calming local officials amid a string of European art thefts.

The Musée Renoir in Cagnes‑sur‑Mer recovered its two prized paintings, *Intenne* and *Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano*, after thieves breached the gallery in September. Six suspects have been arrested and the pieces were found abandoned in the museum’s garden. The mayor hailed the recovery as a relief for the city’s cultural heritage. The event follows a series of high‑profile art heists across Europe, drawing renewed scrutiny over museum security.

Renoir Masterpieces Recovered After Museum Heist

At the Musée Renoir in Cagnes‑sur‑Mer, where Auguste Renoir spent his final years, two of the painter’s finest works were recovered after a daring robbery last month.

Robbers cut a fence and shattered a window on 8 September, then used an electric saw to dismantle the frame mounts of four paintings. Two of those works, *Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano* (1910) and *Jeune fille au puits* (1886), were abandoned in the museum garden as the thieves fled.

Local authorities and security teams located the bowls of pigment‑laden canvases the following day, with six suspects now arrested. The mayor, Bryan Masson of France’s National Rally, praised the swift response and called the rescue “immense joy and profound relief” for the town.

The incident marks the latest in a string of European art thefts, including the 2024 Parma burglary of Renoir, Cézanne and Matisse works that were recovered in August, and the 2021 Louvre jewellery heist that claimed an €88 million hoard.

The Musée Renoir houses 12 of Renoir’s works, plus personal artefacts such as his easel, wheelchair, photographs and letters. The museum announced that further details of the recovery would be released later on Friday.