Two Renoir Paintings Recovered After Museum Theft

Overview

• Thieves cut a garden fence with an electric saw and removed paintings from the Musée Renoir, an attack that took place on September 8 and triggered an alarm that police reached in about four minutes.
• Police found the two oil paintings hidden behind a wall in a private home and recovered them on Friday, October 9.
• Prosecutors have preliminarily indicted four men on charges including organized theft and criminal association, with two suspects held in custody and others under judicial supervision or released.
• Officials said one canvas, Madame Colonna Romano, has a tear and the other, Jeune femme au puits, shows minor frame damage; restorers will assess treatment and the prosecutor estimated the pair at about €4.2 million.
• Investigators linked the case using DNA recovered from an abandoned protective cover and vehicle-tracking data, and authorities warned the theft fits a pattern of organised attacks on French cultural sites that has renewed calls for stronger museum security.