Archive · 8 Sep 2026
Thieves Raid Renoir Museum; Two Paintings Dropped During Chase
Two people broke into a museum in southern France early Tuesday.
The museum is connected to the famous painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir.
The thieves took four artworks.
Police arrived five minutes after an alarm sounded.
The thieves dropped at least one painting while running away.
Some reports say they dropped two paintings, so the exact number is unclear.
The mayor’s office estimated the missing art was worth about €9 million, but that value has not been confirmed.
Police are still looking for the thieves after several recent museum robberies in France.
Two thieves entered the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer through a hole in its garden fence early Tuesday.
Four artworks were taken, but reports conflict over whether one or two paintings were abandoned during the escape.
The alarm sounded at 5:48 a.m., and municipal police arrived five minutes later.
The mayor’s office estimated the stolen works at €9 million, while another account said the value was unconfirmed.
Authorities are searching for the suspects amid a series of recent French museum thefts.
- Who
- Two suspected thieves raided the museum; Mayor Bryan Masson described the incident, and police are searching for them.
- What
- Four artworks were stolen, with conflicting reports saying one or two paintings were abandoned during the escape.
- When
- Early Tuesday; the alarm sounded at 5:48 a.m., and police arrived at 5:53 a.m. One report dates the incident to 8 September.
- Where
- The Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer on France’s French Riviera.
- Why
- The articles do not state why the museum was targeted.
Initial and Official Accounts
Later and Alternative Accounts
Number of paintings abandoned
Initial and Official Accounts
Bryan Masson initially said the thieves abandoned one painting as they fled.
Later and Alternative Accounts
Another account said police chased the thieves and they dropped two canvases, leaving two works stolen.
Value of the artworks
Initial and Official Accounts
The mayor’s office estimated the stolen works at €9 million, or about $10 million.
Later and Alternative Accounts
A police-linked account said the value could not be confirmed, while another report questioned whether €9 million referred to all four works or only those still missing.
Identification of the stolen works
Initial and Official Accounts
The mayor did not identify the artworks taken from the museum.
Later and Alternative Accounts
Nice-Matin reportedly named four works: Portrait of Madame Pichon, Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano, Coco Lisant, and Jeune fille au puits.
- Museum
- Renoir Museum, also called the Musée Renoir, opened in 1960 in Renoir’s former home.
- Initial theft
- Four works of art were taken.
- Recovered works
- Reports differ: one says one painting was abandoned, while another says two canvases were dropped.
- Estimated value
- The mayor’s office estimated the works at €9 million, or about $10 million; another report said the value was unconfirmed.
- Police response
- The alarm sounded at 5:48 a.m.; municipal police arrived five minutes later.
- Reported artworks
- Nice-Matin named Portrait of Madame Pichon, Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano, Coco Lisant, and Jeune fille au puits.
- Museum collection
- The museum displays about a dozen or 13 Renoir paintings, around 40 sculptures, furniture, and photographs.
- Recent French thefts
- Articles also cited robberies at the Louvre Museum and Musée Lalique, plus the theft of a gold torque from the Vix treasure.
Sources
French Riviera art heist: Thieves raid Renoir museum, steal four paintings, drop two in police chase
Thieves Raid Renoir Museum in Latest French Art Heist
Art heist gone wrong. Thieves drop artwork during €9 million robbery at Renoir Museum in France
