Authorities in France were searching Tuesday for two thieves who broke into the Renoir Museum on the French Riviera and stole two works by the 19th-century impressionist master, the local mayor said. Surveillance cameras captured the two perpetrators entering the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer early Tuesday morning and taking four paintings, the city’s mayor, Bryan Masson, said in a statement, adding that the alarm system sounded at 5:48 a.m. and police were on the scene. just five minutes later. Masson told local newspaper Nice-Matin that two of the stolen paintings were found in the museum garden after the thieves fled. The works initially selected included “Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano,” “Coco Lisant” and “The Girl at the Well,” with a total value of around $10.5 million, Nice-Matin reported. It was not immediately clear which two were missing or what their estimated value might be. The museum named after Renoir also houses works by other artists. A police officer stands in front of the entrance to the Renoir Museum after three paintings were stolen from the museum in an early morning robbery, in Cagnes-sur-Mer, France, on September 8, 2026. Valery HACHE / AFP via Getty Images “Since this morning, both municipal and national police have been deployed to the scene,” Masson said in his previous statement. “The perpetrators are being actively sought and the investigation is ongoing.” “Attacking the Renoir Museum is attacking a part of the history and heritage of #CagnesSurMer. These events are particularly serious,” said the mayor. “They also confirm the urgent need to implement a comprehensive plan to secure our museums and protect our works of art, a plan to which I have committed. We will dedicate all necessary resources to better protect this heritage, which belongs to all residents of Cagnes.” Tuesday’s theft came nearly a year after French crown jewels worth an estimated $102 million were stolen from France’s Louvre Museum in October 2025. More from CBS News Go deeper with The Free Press
