Two Renoirs stolen from a French museum recovered, six arrested

What happened

Two Renoir paintings stolen from the Renoir museum at Cagnes-sur-Mer, on the French Riviera, have been recovered, according to the town's mayor, Bryan Masson, as reported by Reuters on 9 October 2026. Six suspects have been arrested, the mayor said. Masson described the news as a source of great relief for the town.

The works are Madame Colonna Romano (1910) and Jeune femme au puits (1886), known in English as Young Woman at the Well. Both belong to the Musée d'Orsay in Paris and were on loan to the Cagnes-sur-Mer museum. Thieves cut a hole in a garden fence and entered through a window in the early hours of 8 September 2026.

The museum's alarm was triggered at 5.48am, according to The Art Newspaper.

Four paintings were taken in total. Two others, Madame Pichon and Coco Reading, were dropped in the gardens as police arrived and gave chase, according to Reuters.

The Art Newspaper reported on 8 September that the estimated value of the stolen art was €9m. Reuters described the recovered works only as worth millions of dollars, and we have not seen an updated valuation. The €9m is an estimate, not a transaction price.

Reuters did not say how or where the paintings were found. The Marseille prosecutor's office had not responded to its questions on the recovery, and the condition of the works was not reported.

The Art Newspaper reported, citing the culture minister's statement, that the four works had been on loan to Cagnes-sur-Mer since 1995. It also said the ministry had launched a national plan to improve security in 3,100 museums, monuments and churches.