Two paintings by Auguste Renoir stolen a month ago from a museum in southern France have been recovered. The two works were stolen on September 8 when thieves broke through a fence and smashed a window at the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer, where the French impressionist lived during his final years.
The local mayor praised authorities for recovering the paintings and said the news brought him great joy and deep relief. Six suspects have also been arrested in connection with the robbery at the Renoir Museum, the city hall confirmed in a statement. The theft was the latest in a series of high-profile art heists in Europe.
The two missing paintings were Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano (1910) and Jeune fille au puits (1886). The thieves had used a chainsaw to cut through the frame mounts inside the museum and initially made off with 4 paintings, but threw 2 of them into the museum garden as they fled.
"These two paintings are much more than works of art. They are part of the history of our city, our cultural heritage and the legacy that Auguste Renoir left to Cagnes-sur-Mer," said Mayor Bryan Masson. The city initially said it would provide further details on the recovery, but canceled a planned press conference.
The Renoir Museum is home to 12 works of art by the famous painter. Opened in 1960, it houses a number of objects that once belonged to him, including his easel and wheelchair, as well as photographs and personal letters.
Earlier this year, paintings by Renoir, Paul Cézanne and Henri Matisse were stolen from a museum near the Italian city of Parma in a raid that lasted just three minutes. They were recovered in August.
France suffered its biggest art heist in years last October, when the crown jewels were stolen in broad daylight from the Louvre in Paris. Disguised as construction workers, the thieves forced their way into the Apollo Gallery on the Louvre's first floor during the museum's opening hours.
They used an angle grinder to open the display cases and stole 88 million euros (78 million pounds) worth of jewelry that once belonged to 19th-century queens and empresses of France. The Louvre was later criticized for insufficient investment in security. ©LAPSI.al
