2 paintings by Renoir stolen from French museum dedicated to 19th century Impressionist, officials say

Updated on: September 8, 2026 / 6:36 AM EDT / CBS News

Authorities in France were seeking two thieves Tuesday who broke into the Renoir Museum in the French Riviera and stole two works by the 19th century Impressionist master, the local mayor said.

Surveillance cameras caught the two perpetrators entering the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer early Tuesday morning and making off with four paintings, the town's mayor, Bryan Masson, said in a statement, adding that the alarm system went off at 5:48 a.m. and police were on the scene just five minutes later.

Masson told local the Nice-Matin newspaper that two of the stolen paintings were then found in the museum's garden after the thieves fled.

The works initially taken included "Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano," "Coco Lisant" and "Young Girl at the Well," with an overall worth of around $10.5 million, Nice-Matin reported. It wasn't immediately clear which two were left missing, or what their estimated value might be.

The museum bearing Renoir's name also has works by other artists.

"Since this morning, both the municipal and national police have been deployed to the site," Masson said in his earlier statement. "The perpetrators are being actively sought, and…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/moneywatch/