Thieves steal four Renoir paintings from French museum in latest art heist
By Jack Guy and Saskya Vandoorne, CNN
(CNN) — Thieves have stolen four paintings from the Renoir Museum in the south of France, with two later recovered, in the latest heist to hit the art world.
The museum’s alarm system went off at 5:48 a.m. local time Tuesday (11:48 p.m. ET Monday), and police arrived at the scene five minutes later, said Bryan Masson, mayor of Cagnes-sur-Mer, where the museum is located, in a post on Facebook.
The two thieves fled, dropping one of the paintings as they made their escape, said Masson, who is a member of the National Rally party.
At a press conference later Tuesday morning, Masson said that a second painting had been recovered from the garden of the museum.
Municipal and national police are still searching for the thieves, he added.
“An attack on the Renoir Museum is an attack on a part of the history and heritage of #CagnesSurMer,” wrote Masson in the Facebook post. “These incidents are particularly serious.”
The mayor also called for tougher security measures at museums in France.
“We will devote all necessary resources to better protect this heritage, which belongs to everyone who lives in Cagnes-sur-Mer,” added Masson.
In a separate post on Facebook, the Cagnes-sur-Mer town hall said that the museum would be closed until further notice.
CNN has contacted the town hall, the Renoir Museum and France’s Ministry of Culture for comment.
The incident comes nearly a year after the Louvre was targeted in an audacious raid, which saw thieves steal priceless items in just a few minutes.
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