Thieves steal four Renoir paintings from French museum, dropping two as they flee

(CNN) — Thieves took less than five minutes to steal four paintings from the Renoir Museum in southern France on Tuesday, abandoning two as they fled, in the latest heist targeting art and cultural artifacts.

The incident has sparked calls for better security for cultural institutions, with the local mayor’s office urging the French government to provide additional funding to help protect collections “against increasingly organised and determined criminals.”

The museum’s alarm system went off at 5:48 a.m. local time Tuesday (11:48 p.m. ET Monday), and police arrived at the scene five minutes later, said Bryan Masson, mayor of Cagnes-sur-Mer, where the museum is located, in a post on Facebook.

Four of the 12 works by Impressionist artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir displayed at the museum were stolen, the mayor’s office said in a statement. As the thieves fled, they were “forced to abandon” two of the paintings.

The two missing paintings are “Madame Colonna Romano,” which is worth 2 million euros ($2.32 million), and “Jeune femme au puits,” which is valued at 200,000 euros ($232,000), deputy mayor Caroline d’Amat told CNN.

“Portrait de Madame Stephen Pichon” and “Coco lisant” were recovered.

The thieves were “well-equipped and well-prepared,” Masson, who is a member of the National Rally party, told reporters.

“They were equipped with an electric saw and used it to cut through the fixtures securing the frames of Renoir’s works,” he added.

Calls for tighter security

The mayor’s office praised the police for “their professionalism and swift response.”

“Every possible effort is being made to recover the missing works and apprehend those responsible for this break-in,” it said, adding that the theft “should serve as a warning about the protection of our museums, which now face a new form of organised crime targeting works of art.”

“Local authorities cannot bear the growing cost of securing their museums alone,” said the mayor’s office.

“The French State must play its full part and provide financial support to municipalities and cultural institutions, enabling them to protect their collections effectively against increasingly organised and determined criminals,” it added.

The mayor also called for tougher security measures at museums in France.

“An attack on the Renoir Museum is an attack on a part of the history and heritage of #CagnesSurMer,” wrote Masson in an earlier Facebook post. “These incidents are particularly serious.”

“We will devote all necessary resources to better protect this heritage, which belongs to everyone who lives in Cagnes-sur-Mer,” added Masson.

The Cagnes-sur-Mer town hall said in a Facebook post that the museum would be closed until further notice.

CNN has contacted the Renoir Museum and France’s Ministry of Culture for comment.

Art crime historian Laura Evans, a professor at the University of North Texas, told CNN that “Renoir has been one of the more frequently stolen artists of the last century,” with thefts in 1951, 1985, 1990, 2000 and this March.

“His works are often small, portable, and instantly recognizable, which makes thieves think they are a good target. But, that recognizability makes them unsellable,” she said in a statement.

As a result, all of the other Renoirs stolen in the last few decades have come home, Evans said, adding: “I hope the same will be true of today’s thefts.”

“Just a couple of people, in a couple of minutes, can create a loss that belongs to all of us,” said Evans. “What gets stolen isn’t only a painting, but every future visitor’s chance to stand in front of it and connect with the work that Renoir made to be seen and experienced.”

Changing tactics and targets

The incident comes nearly a year after the Louvre was targeted in an audacious raid, which saw thieves steal priceless items in just a few minutes.

Europol, the European Union’s law enforcement agency, has highlighted a shift in tactics in museum thefts, from deception and stealth to more aggressive and violent methods.

“The use of violent means could indicate the involvement of perpetrators with a new profile, distinct from those traditionally engaged in cultural property crimes,” reads a report from the agency published August 24.

“Unlike typical cultural goods traffickers, who usually avoid violence and specialise in organised property crime or the theft of cultural goods, these individuals often have histories of involvement in other types of crime.”

Thieves are also increasingly targeting items such as precious metals, gemstones and culturally significant artifacts, adds Europol.

“The choice of targets suggests strong criminal market demand and ease of illicit resale,” reads the report.

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