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Two paintings by celebrated French Impressionist Pierre Auguste Renoir have been stolen from a museum in Cagnes sur Mer in southern France, triggering a major investigation and renewed concerns about the protection of priceless cultural treasures.
The early morning burglary took place on Tuesday at the Renoir Museum, housed in the artist's former residence on the French Riviera. According to local authorities, two thieves broke into the property shortly before 6am after cutting through a fence surrounding the museum.
The suspects initially removed four Renoir paintings, but their escape was disrupted when the museum's alarm system was activated at 5:48am. Police arrived approximately five minutes later, forcing the thieves to abandon two of the works in the museum gardens before fleeing the area.
The two paintings still missing are Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano, completed around 1910, and Jeune fille au puits, painted in 1886. The two recovered works are Portrait of Madame Pichon from 1895 and Coco Lisant, completed in 1905. The four works were among the museum's most valuable pieces, with their combined value estimated at about €9 million.
Cagnes sur Mer Mayor Bryan Masson described the suspects as well equipped and well informed, noting that they wore helmets, gloves and protective clothing and used tools to remove the paintings. He suggested the precision of the operation could indicate that the works were targeted deliberately rather than stolen opportunistically.
The robbery has intensified concerns about organised art crime in Europe. It comes less than a year after a spectacular theft at Paris' Louvre Museum, where thieves stole valuable French crown jewels. European authorities have increasingly warned that cultural institutions are becoming targets for criminals seeking valuable and easily transportable works.
The Renoir Museum holds particular historical significance because it occupies Les Collettes, the final home of the Impressionist master before his death in 1919. Established as a museum in 1960, the property contains around a dozen original Renoir works alongside sculptures, furniture, photographs and personal objects associated with the artist.
Officials are now searching for the perpetrators while assessing the museum's security arrangements. The incident has also prompted calls for greater government support for local museums.
For Cagnes sur Mer, the theft represents more than the loss of expensive paintings. It has struck at a site closely connected to one of France's most influential artists and highlighted the increasingly difficult task of protecting cultural heritage from determined criminals.
