Two paintings by Auguste Renoir taken a month ago from the museum in the house where he spent his final years have been recovered, the local town hall said.
Zoom in: The works are Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano, painted in 1910, and Jeune fille au puits, from 1886. The thieves used an electric saw to cut through frame mountings inside the museum.
- They initially made off with four paintings and dropped two of them in the museum’s garden as they fled.
What they're saying: These two paintings are far more than works of art, said Mayor Bryan Masson. They are part of our city’s history, our cultural heritage and the legacy Auguste Renoir left to Cagnes-sur-Mer.
- The town hall said it would give further details on Friday, then cancelled the planned press conference.
The backstory: The museum opened in 1960 in Renoir’s final home and holds 12 of his artworks, along with his easel, his wheelchair, photographs and personal letters.
The big picture: This is the latest in a run of European art heists. Paintings by Renoir, Cezanne and Matisse were stolen from a museum near Parma in a three-minute raid earlier this year and recovered in August.
By the numbers: France’s largest art robbery in years came last October, when thieves disguised as construction workers used an angle grinder on display cases in the Louvre’s Apollo Gallery and took 88 million euros of crown jewels.
What's next: Six suspects were arrested in connection with the September theft, per the town hall statement, and the mayor credited authorities with giving the city immense joy and profound relief.
Why it matters: Europe’s museums are being tested by fast raids with power tools, and the Louvre was criticised for under-investing in security after last year’s jewel theft.
