Thieves steal works worth $18m from Renoir Museum in France, says mayor

AFP

8 Sep, 2026 08:31 AM2 mins to read

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One of four artworks stolen from the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer, France, was dropped as the thieves fled. Photo / Valery Hache, AFP

Two thieves broke into a museum dedicated to French impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir in southern France on Tuesday, stealing “four works of art”, one of which they dropped as they fled, a mayor said.

“This morning, two individuals broke into the Renoir Museum and stole four works of art,” said
Bryan Masson, the far-right mayor of the town of Cagnes-sur-Mer.

“Spotted thanks to the town’s video surveillance cameras, the two individuals fled, abandoning one of the stolen paintings as they ran,” he said, adding his office estimated the value of the stolen works at €9 million ($17.8m).

The Renoir Museum was opened in 1960 in the painter’s last home before he died in 1919.

Its collection includes objects and furniture that belonged to Renoir, including his easel and wheelchair, as well as portraits, landscapes and nudes painted by the artist.