Stolen Renoir paintings found hidden, and damaged, behind cinder block wall: “Completely undetectable”

October 12, 2026 / 9:43 AM EDT / CBS/AFP

Two paintings by impressionist master Pierre-Auguste Renoir, stolen from a museum in southern France and later discovered hidden behind a wall, have sustained slight damage, prosecutors said on Monday.

In September, thieves broke into the museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer and escaped with two works by Renoir, abandoning two others as they fled.

The value of all four paintings had been estimated at $10 million.

On Friday, authorities announced that the two outstanding stolen works had been found.

They were a portrait titled "Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano" and a depiction of a woman at a well called "Young Woman at the Well."

Speaking to reporters in Paris, Marseille prosecutor Nicolas Bessone said the paintings were recovered last Thursday during a search of a home in the southern town of Clermont-l'Herault.

The discovery of the stolen works followed the arrest of six people, including a woman, last Wednesday, said Bessone.

"The paintings were hidden behind a solid cinder block wall. They were completely undetectable," Bessone said. "It was through interrogation work that investigators were able to get the receiver of the stolen goods to admit that he had indeed taken possession of the…

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