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Two paintings by Pierre-Auguste Renoir were stolen from the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer, France, during a break-in on Tuesday, with each painting valued at €9 million ($10.4 million). The thieves, who were well-equipped and used tools like an electric knife and hacksaw, fled after the alarm triggered but abandoned two other paintings in the museum gardens, which have since been recovered. The local mayor emphasized the importance of protecting cultural heritage and called for more financial support to safeguard museums from organized art theft.

Three paintings were stolen from the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer, France, during a burglary carried out by two thieves shortly before 6 AM on September 8, 2026, with an estimated value of 9 million euros ($10.5 million). The thieves were captured on video surveillance and abandoned one of the paintings as they fled, prompting a swift police response that arrived just five minutes after the alarm was triggered. This incident follows a recent high-profile theft from the Louvre, where items valued at approximately $100 million were taken, and the investigation into the Renoir Museum theft is being led by France's Sub-Directorate for Combating Organised Crime.

Two thieves broke into the Renoir Museum in southern France, stealing four artworks valued at approximately €9 million (£7.7 million) before abandoning one piece as they fled. The mayor of Cagnes-sur-Mer, Bryan Masson, reported that the theft occurred shortly after the museum's alarm was triggered at 5:48 am, with municipal police arriving on the scene just five minutes later. This heist follows a recent trend of escalating art thefts in Europe, including an €88 million robbery at the Louvre in Paris less than a year prior.

Two thieves stole three paintings from the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer, with the total value of the artworks initially taken estimated at around €9 million ($10.5 million), but they abandoned one painting during their escape. The burglary occurred shortly before 6 a.m. and was aided by the town's video surveillance, although the suspects managed to evade police. Recent trends in art theft involve more opportunistic groups targeting museums due to the high-profit potential and low risk, exemplified by a previous heist at the Louvre where €88 million worth of jewels were stolen.

Two thieves stole two paintings from the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer, with the initial haul of four artworks valued at around €9 million ($10.5 million), but they abandoned two during their escape. The theft occurred shortly before 6 a.m., and despite being chased by police, the thieves managed to escape after leaving one of the stolen works behind. Europol indicated that recent art thefts are increasingly carried out by opportunistic groups motivated by the high-profit potential and low-risk nature of museum heists, as exemplified by a recent €88 million theft at the Louvre.

Two thieves broke into the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer early on Tuesday, stealing four artworks valued at around €9 million ($10.5 million), but abandoned two while escaping. The theft is part of a growing trend of opportunistic art thefts in Europe, driven by high prices for valuables and the low-risk potential of museum heists. Europol noted that such thefts have become more brazen, citing a recent example where €88 million worth of jewels were stolen from the Louvre in Paris.