In September, thieves broke into the museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer and escaped with two works by Renoir, abandoning two others as they fled. <\/p>\n
The value of all four paintings had been estimated at nine million euros ($10 million).<\/p>\n
On Friday, authorities announced that the two outstanding stolen works had been found.<\/p>\n
They were a portrait titled “Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano” and a depiction of a woman at a well called “Young Woman at the Well”.<\/p>\n
Speaking to reporters in Paris, Marseille prosecutor Nicolas Bessone said the paintings were recovered last Thursday during a search of a home in the southern town of Clermont-l’Herault.<\/p>\n
The discovery of the stolen works followed the arrest of six people, including a woman, last Wednesday, said Bessone.<\/p>\n
“The paintings were hidden behind a solid cinderblock wall. They were completely undetectable,” Bessone said.<\/p>\n
“It was through interrogation work that investigators were able to get the receiver of the stolen goods to admit that he had indeed taken possession of the paintings.”<\/p>\n
A 29-year-old man seen as the main suspect was charged at the weekend after DNA evidence linked him to the theft.<\/p>\n
The two paintings were “in relatively good condition”, although “the two works showed signs of damage,” Bessone said, speaking alongside the head of France’s national judicial police, Christian Sainte.<\/p>\n
The frame of “Young Woman at the Well” was slightly damaged, while “the canvas of ‘Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano’ had a tear,” Bessone said.<\/p>\n
The tear was located “on the dress” in the portrait, the prosecutor said, adding that both paintings “will require restoration work”.<\/p>\n
Latest heist<\/p>\n
Culture Minister Catherine Pegard praised “the efficiency and determination of all those who made this outcome possible.”<\/p>\n
“Their commitment made it possible to recover these works in record time,” the culture ministry said.<\/p>\n
A spate of heists at French museums — including at the Louvre — has highlighted inadequate security in some cases and led to questions about whether criminal gangs see them as soft targets.<\/p>\n
Crown jewels valued at around $100 million were stolen in broad daylight from the Louvre in Paris last year. <\/p>\n
While the four suspected Louvre robbers were arrested, the jewels they are accused of grabbing in the seven-minute heist have still not been found.<\/p>\n
nir-jri-sc-as\/rmb\/cw<\/p>\n
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