France Recovers Two Stolen Renoir Paintings and Arrests Six Suspects

Two paintings by French Impressionist artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir have been recovered following a September theft from the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer, southern France, and six suspects have been arrested, the city announced Friday, October 9. The recovery returns two historic artworks to public authorities after burglars broke into the museum and fled with the paintings.

The recovered works are a portrait of French actress Colonna Romano, painted around 1910, and Young Woman at the Well, an oil painting dating to around 1886. The theft occurred at the museum, which occupies Renoir's former home near Nice, where the artist spent his final years before dying in 1919 at age 78.

The mayor's announcement confirmed the paintings had been recovered, while the precise circumstances of their discovery were not detailed in the available reports. CBS News reported that police had not issued a public statement about the recovery, and authorities had previously declined to confirm the arrests to the BBC.

Bryan Masson, the mayor of Cagnes-sur-Mer, emphasized the cultural significance of the recovered works in a statement released by the city.

"These two paintings are not simply works of art. They are part of our city's history," said Bryan Masson, the mayor of Cagnes-sur-Mer.

Masson also described the recovery as a relief for the community, which had faced the loss of two works associated with its artistic heritage.

"Knowing they have been recovered is an immense relief," said Bryan Masson, the mayor of Cagnes-sur-Mer.

In a separate statement reported by The New York Times, Masson said the paintings represented the city's cultural inheritance and Renoir's legacy in Cagnes-sur-Mer. He added that their return was welcome news for residents and people concerned about the museum.

Catherine Pégard, France's national culture minister, also welcomed the recovery in a social media statement, describing the paintings as part of the country's shared cultural memory. She said they could return to the historic residence associated with Renoir's final years.

According to accounts published after the theft, the burglars entered the museum grounds at dawn on September 8 by cutting through a fence. They smashed a window to gain access and used an electric saw to cut through the paintings' frame mountings, Masson said at the time.

The intruders initially took four paintings but abandoned two in the garden while escaping. Police arrived five minutes after the security alarm sounded, according to The New York Times.

Reports about the investigation emerged earlier in the week. The BBC reported on October 8 that at least five people had been arrested, including the two suspected burglars. French media outlets, including Nice-Matin, reported that the total had reached six and suggested the suspects might be connected to an organized criminal group.

The recovery comes amid a series of prominent art and heritage thefts across Europe. In August, paintings by Renoir, Paul Cézanne and Henri Matisse were stolen from a museum in Italy in a robbery that lasted three minutes; those works were subsequently recovered.

France also remains affected by the theft of royal jewels from the Louvre in Paris in October 2025. Thieves disguised as construction workers entered the Apollo Gallery during opening hours and used an angle grinder to break open display cases, taking jewels valued at €88 million, equivalent to £78 million, according to the BBC.

The Renoir Museum opened in 1960 and houses 12 of the artist's works, along with personal belongings that include his easel, wheelchair, photographs and letters. The recovery of the two stolen paintings restores two pieces of the collection following the September break-in.