Topline
A pair of thieves broke into a small museum in southern France and stole artwork worth millions made by the legendary painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir, local authorities said on Tuesday, in an incident that comes less than a year after the high-profile Louvre Museum heist where thieves stole more than $100 million worth of French crown jewels.
A police officer stands near a hole cut by the thieves in the outer fence of the Musee Renoir after four paintings, together valued at nine million euros, were stolen in an early-morning break-in.
AFP via Getty Images
Key Facts
Bryan Masson, mayor of Cagnes-sur-Mer, a commune on the French Riviera, said two people broke into the Renoir Museum on Tuesday morning and stole four works of art, Le Monde reported.
Surveillance cameras captured the two thieves fleeing and they abandoned at least one of the paintings as they ran.
Masson said the estimated value of the stolen paintings was around €9 million ($10.4 million), although it’s unclear if valuation covers all four paintings or just the ones that the theives managed to take.
The break-in and robbery took place early on Tuesday morning and local police responded in five minutes after the alarms were triggered.
A hunt for the suspects and an investigation into the robbery are ongoing, a law enforcement official told the Associated Press.
Key Background
In October last year, a group of thieves used a basket lift (or cherry picker) to break into the museum and steal French crown jewelry from the Louvre Museum’s Apollo Gallery before escaping on scooters. Authorities said the total value of the stolen goods is estimated at around €88 million, or $100 million. Stolen items included a pearl tiara and corsage-bow brooch belonging to Napoleon III’s wife, Empress Eugénie. Necklaces and jewelry owned by other French queens, including Empress Marie Louise, Marie-Amélie, and Hortense Bonaparte.
This is a developing story.
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