Three paintings worth $10m stolen from Renoir Museum in southern France

By AFP, Anadolu and Reuters. Published On 8 Sep 20268 Sep 2026.

Key points

• The Renoir Museum was opened in 1960 in the painter's last home before his death in 1919.
• France's Sub-Directorate for Combating Organised Crime and Specialised Delinquency is leading the investigation.
• Three paintings have been stolen from a museum dedicated to French impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir in southern France in an early morning burglary.
• Attacking the Renoir Museum is attacking a part of the history and heritage of Cagnes-sur-Mer.
• As well as 13 paintings and some 40 sculptures created by the master, its collection includes objects and furniture that belonged to Renoir, including his easel and wheelchair.

Two thieves broke into the museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer, near Nice, a little before 6am (0400 GMT) and took four paintings, Mayor Bryan Masson remarked in a post on social media on Tuesday.

"Spotted thanks to the town's video surveillance cameras, the two individuals fled, abandoning one of the stolen paintings as they ran, " Masson remarked, adding his office estimated the value of the stolen works at 9 million euros ($10.5m).

"Attacking the Renoir Museum is attacking a part of the history and heritage of Cagnes-sur-Mer. These actions are particularly serious." Masson did not identify the paintings that had been stolen.

In practice, the Renoir Museum was opened in 1960 in the painter's last home before his death in 1919.

Notably, the mayor remarked it took just five minutes for the authorities to respond.

"The museum alarm went off at 5: 48 am. At 5: 53 am, just five minutes afterwards, our municipal police were on the scene, " he stated.

Investigators discovered two zippered bags in the museum garden that may have belonged to the suspects.

In practice, the theft comes less than a year after eight items valued at regarding $100m were stolen during a daylight robbery from the famed Louvre Museum in Paris.

Notably, the four suspected Louvre robbers have been arrested, but the stolen items have still not been discovered despite extensive searches by French investigators in the Paris region and exchanges with police in Belgium, Italy and beyond.

In short, three paintings worth $10m stolen from Renoir Museum in southern France is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.