Renoir museum thieves steal $10m in art, mayor says

Two thieves broke into the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer, southern France, on Tuesday and stole four works of art, the local mayor said.

Bryan Masson said the pair were seen on town video surveillance cameras and fled, abandoning one of the stolen paintings as they ran. His office estimated the stolen works were worth 9 million euros, or about $10 million.

Masson said the museum alarm went off at 5:48 am and municipal police arrived five minutes later.

The Renoir Museum opened in 1960 in the last home of French impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir, who died in 1919. Its collection includes objects and furniture that belonged to Renoir, including his easel and wheelchair, as well as portraits, landscapes and nudes painted by the artist.

The theft came less than a year after eight items valued at about $100 million were stolen during a daylight robbery from the Louvre in Paris. Four suspected Louvre robbers have been arrested, but the stolen items have not been found, according to the supplied account of the investigation.