Two impressionist paintings by Pierre-Auguste Renoir were stolen from a southern French museum. According to local Mayor Bryan Masson, two robbers stole into the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer early on Tuesday, taking four paintings but leaving two in the museum gardens as they fled.
The paintings, each valued at €9 million (£7.7 million; $10.4 million), are the most recent well-known items stolen in a series of recent thefts in Europe that have raised concerns about the safety of art in galleries and museums.
One of the most well-known occurred in October of last year when France’s precious crown jewels were taken in a blatant crime at the Louvre Museum in Paris. According to the local mayor, CCTV footage showed the robbers breaking through a barrier to enter the gardens of the Renoir museum before tearing through supports that held the painting frames in place.
According to Masson, the burglars left the area when they heard the security alarms, which went off at 05:48 (05:48 GMT), and police arrived on the scene in five minutes. He later described the robbers as “well-equipped” and “well-informed” to the media. He also mentioned that they had “an electric knife and hacksaw” and were “wearing helmets, gloves, and combat gear.
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