Stolen Renoir paintings recovered in southern France after museum heist

Two stolen paintings by French Impressionist artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir have been recovered following a heist at a museum in southern France, according to reports from Al Jazeera, rte.ie, and ABC News Australia. Mayor Bryan Masson of Cagnes-sur-Mer announced the recovery on Friday. Local authorities confirmed that six people have been arrested in connection with the theft, though Artlyst reported five arrests. [1][2][3][4][9]

The artworks were taken last month from the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer, near Nice, as reported by Al Jazeera and ABC News Australia. According to rte.ie and DW, thieves originally broke into the building and tried to take four pieces, but they dropped two works in the museum garden as they fled. DW reported the original four stolen pieces were valued at over 10 million dollars. [1][2][3][7][12]

The two recovered works include Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano, according to ABC News Australia and the New York Post. Mayor Bryan Masson praised the investigators who tracked down the missing artworks and suspects. Al Jazeera reported that the mayor did not disclose where the paintings were found or what condition they were in, while DW stated that officials did not reveal how they found them. [1][3][4][7]

The heist occurred on 8 September 2026 at the Musée Renoir in Cagnes-sur-Mer, where each artwork had an estimated value of 9 million euros. France has a population of 68.6 million people and its capital is Paris. [12][14]

Mayor Bryan Masson called the paintings part of the city history and expressed immense relief over their recovery, Al Jazeera and rte.ie reported. According to the New York Post, the mayor scheduled a news conference for late Friday, while regional police and prosecutors did not immediately respond to requests for comment. [1][2][4]