Six suspects arrested after theft from Renoir museum
Regional reports say the two suspected burglars are among those arrested.
French police have detained six people in an investigation into the theft of four paintings from the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer. Two works were abandoned during the escape; two other paintings have not yet been recovered.
The arrests took place on Wednesday in several French departments, including Alpes-Maritimes, Var, Hérault and Doubs. Nice Mag writes, citing Nice-Matin, that the two suspected burglars are among those arrested. They therefore remain suspects, not convicted criminals.
The burglary took place on 8 September at the former home of Pierre-Auguste Renoir, which is now used as a museum. Four paintings by the Impressionist were taken. Police arrived at the museum shortly after the alarm went off, after which the perpetrators fled, according to the French Ministry of Culture.
Two works were recovered in the vicinity of the museum. They are Portrait de Madame Stephen Pichon and Coco lisant. The two paintings still being sought are La Jeune Femme au puits and Portrait de Madame Colonna Romano. The works had been loaned by the Musée d’Orsay in Paris.
The French Ministry of Culture calls three of the four works so-called MNR objects. This is a French status for artworks recovered after the Second World War whose original owners could not be established. The state holds such works provisionally; the status does not mean that all ownership questions have been definitively resolved.
The case comes at a time when French museums are paying extra attention to security. In July, the ministry announced a €30 million fund for security measures and said that hundreds of priority projects had received support. It is not yet known whether the new arrests will lead to the return of the two missing paintings or to prosecutions.
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The core is based on the French ministry, a regional source and an independent international source. The text explicitly keeps those arrested at suspect status and makes no claims about recovered works that have not been confirmed.
- confirmed Six people were arrested on 7 October in the investigation into the museum theft. — Reported by Nice Mag, citing regional reporting. source
- confirmed Four Renoir works were stolen in the burglary. — Confirmed in the communiqué from the French Ministry of Culture. source
- confirmed Two works were recovered and two are still being sought. — Mentioned by the Ministry of Culture. source
- confirmed Three works had French MNR status. — Explained in the official French communiqué. source
Editor's note
The arrests and the status of the four paintings have been confirmed by regional reporting and the French ministry. The identities of the suspects and whether the two missing works have been recovered have not been publicly confirmed.Sources
- Vol au musée Renoir: six suspects interpellés — Nice Mag
- Vol au musée Renoir de Cagnes-sur-Mer — Ministère de la Culture
- Artworks stolen from Renoir Museum on French Riviera — The Guardian