AUDACIOUS

Thieves Swipe Paintings Worth Millions in Jaw-Dropping Museum Heist

Four paintings were stolen in the early morning raid, but two were recovered nearby.

Two thieves made off with paintings believed to be worth millions during a heist at a French museum. The suspects broke into the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer after cutting through a chain-link fence and making their way through the museum’s garden into the building. Once inside, the pair stole four paintings but abandoned two as they made their escape. Cagnes-sur-Mer Mayor Bryan Masson told reporters at the scene that the art was thought to be worth an estimated €9 million ($10.4 million.) However, it is unclear whether this estimate is for all four paintings or just the two that were taken. Masson added that the thieves were a “well-equipped and apparently well-informed team,” and had escaped before police arrived when the museum’s security alarms were triggered. France has seen several high-profile museum thefts. In October 2025, a gang broke into the Louvre and made off with eight priceless crown jewels during a brazen morning raid at the world’s most visited museum. A woman was also charged with allegedly stealing six gold nuggets from Paris’s Museum of Natural History last September.