The string of thefts that has recently plagued French museums shows no signs of stopping, and this time the victim was the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer, in southern France, dedicated to the Impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir, who spent the final years of his career in this town on the French Riviera. On the night between Monday, September 7, and Tuesday, September 8, 2026, according to a report from the City of Cagnes-sur-Mer, two individuals broke into the museum and stole four paintings; According to the city’s account, one painting was reportedly abandoned by the thieves as they fled, though some news sources mention two paintings.
The alarm was triggered by the museum’s security system at 5:48 a.m., according to the city’s mayor, Bryan Masson. Municipal surveillance cameras captured footage of two people inside the building, who then fled before law enforcement arrived. The municipal police arrived on the scene five minutes after the alarm went off, but the two intruders had already disappeared; they were identified only thanks to footage from the city’s surveillance cameras.
Local sources offer slightly differing accounts regarding the exact number of works actually stolen and recovered: while, as noted, the City of Cagnes-sur-Mer, in an initial statement posted on its social media channels, mentioned only a single painting abandoned by the thieves during their escape, the broadcaster BFM TV later reported that two of the four stolen works had been recovered, while the daily newspaper Nice Matin confirmed that only one work had been dropped during the criminals’ hasty escape. In any case, the various sources agree on the estimated total value of the stolen works, which is said to be around nine million euros. It has not yet been specified which works were stolen.
According to information gathered by *Nice Matin*, the perpetrators of the theft reportedly cut through a fence to gain entry into the museum, located at 19 Chemin des Collettes, taking advantage of a shift change among the security guards to evade surveillance. This suggests that the thieves carefully timed their break-in, exploiting a window of opportunity when security at the building was at its weakest.
In addition to the municipal police, the French national police also responded to the scene, while the Cagnes-sur-Mer police station immediately opened an investigation, which was subsequently handed over to the judicial police. At 8:15 a.m., according to Nice Matin, those responsible for the theft were still at large and actively being sought.
The museum, which opened in 1960 in the painter’s final home and houses not only paintings but also objects and furniture that belonged to Renoir, along with portraits, landscapes, and nudes created by the artist, remains closed to the public until further notice. Mayor Bryan Masson commented on the incident, emphasizing that an attack on the Renoir Museum is tantamount to an attack on a part of the history and heritage of Cagnes-sur-Mer, describing the incident as particularly serious and reiterating the need to launch, without further delay, a comprehensive plan to secure the city’s works of art—a commitment the mayor stated he had already made previously. The municipal administration has also assured the public that it will promptly report any new developments in the investigation as soon as the information can be confirmed and made public.
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| Cagnes-sur-Mer: Break-in at the Renoir Museum—Four Works Stolen |
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