Renoir Museum Heist: Thieves Steal 3 Paintings Worth USD 10 Million From French Riviera Museum, 1 Dropped During Chase
The Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer on France’s French Riviera was targeted by two thieves early Tuesday. Mayor Bryan Masson said four paintings were initially taken before police spotted and chased the suspects. One painting was dropped during the pursuit, while the thieves escaped with three. The robbery comes amid Europol’s warning about rising art thefts in Europe.
The Renoir Museum on the French Riviera was targeted by two thieves early Tuesday, September 8, with three paintings stolen from the museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer, according to the town's mayor, Bryan Masson, reported Reuters. The robbers broke into the museum shortly before 6 am and fled after police spotted them, with one of the paintings reportedly dropped during the ensuing chase.
Masson said in a statement on Facebook that the thieves initially took four paintings. Police pursued the suspects after detecting the break-in, but the pair managed to escape, the report said. One painting was recovered after being dropped during the chase, leaving three artworks stolen from the museum. Spain: Thieves Steal Bronze Age Gold at Villena Museum.
How The Renoir Museum Heist Unfolded
The break-in took place a little before 6 am, according to Masson. The two suspects entered the museum and removed four paintings before fleeing. Police officers spotted the robbers and began a pursuit.
During the chase, the thieves dropped one of the paintings. They subsequently escaped, while police recovered the abandoned artwork. Authorities have not publicly identified the stolen paintings or provided further details about their current whereabouts.
Renoir Museum On The French Riviera
The museum is located in Cagnes-sur-Mer on the French Riviera and is dedicated to French Impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir. The early-morning robbery comes amid wider concerns over art thefts in Europe, where authorities have warned about increasingly opportunistic and violent criminal activity targeting cultural institutions.
Europol said last month that art thieves in Europe are increasingly carrying out more violent robberies, while specialist criminal gangs have in some cases been replaced by ad-hoc groups recruited through social media.
The Louvre Museum heist in Paris in October last year was cited by Europol as a prominent example. In that case, thieves threatened guards and visitors and stole jewels worth 88 million Euro (USD 102.3 million), including Empress Eugenie's tiara.
The latest incident at the Renoir Museum adds to concerns surrounding the security of valuable artworks and cultural institutions across Europe. Police investigations into the Cagnes-sur-Mer robbery are continuing.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 08, 2026 01:26 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
