Four men charged in theft of Renoirs from Cagnes-sur-Mer museum
Four men received preliminary charges after a Sept. 8 museum break-in in Cagnes-sur-Mer, a prosecutor said Monday. The formal legal step followed the recovery of two stolen masterworks valued at millions of dollars. Marseille prosecutor Nicolas Bessone announced the counts of organized theft and criminal association.
The targeted artworks were “Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano” and “Young Woman at the Well.” Bessone estimated their total value at 4.2 million euros, or 4.7 million dollars. The portrait had a tear. The second piece had slight damage to its frame.
The thieves cut a fence with an electric saw. They stepped through the ground floor. They cut clips securing four frames. An alarm sounded immediately. Police officers arrived four minutes later. Bessone said the quick arrival apparently made the intruders panic.
“As they fled, they were unable to take all four paintings and abandoned two of them, which were later found in a protective sleeve,” he said.
Tracking Leads to Stolen Art
DNA on the dropped sleeve matched a 29-year-old man, Bessone said. Police were already tracking his car in a drug investigation. Tracking records showed the 29-year-old and a 41-year-old man traveled to a third man’s home.
Officers watched the 29-year-old visit the Maeght Foundation in Saint-Paul-de-Vence on Oct. 3. That site houses modern art. The suspect then met a fourth man. Police knew that man from art theft and forgery files in 2001 and 2003.
Investigators feared another heist was imminent, Bessone said. The two break-in suspects face charges of theft by an organized gang and criminal association. Both went to prison while the inquiry continues. They denied wrongdoing.
The third suspect admitted taking the paintings into his house. He hid them behind a wall built under stairs. Detectives seized the art from that space, Bessone said. The fourth man admitted seeing photos of the art, but said he did not recognize it.
Both men face preliminary charges of concealment of stolen paintings. Officials released them under judicial supervision. The court barred them from leaving France. Two other people under arrest were released without charges.
National Heritage Protection
Preliminary charges in the French legal system place suspects under formal inquiry before trial. Judges use this procedure to examine evidence while setting travel bans or pre-trial detention.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir lived at the Cagnes-sur-Mer property until his death in 1919. Christian Sainte, national director of judicial police, said organized groups target French heritage. Sainte said French museums recorded 23 theft cases in 2025 and about 10 this year.
