Renoir Paintings Worth Millions Stolen In French Riviera Museum Heist

0:28This episode is brought to you by Google Chrome. and stole artwork worth millions made by the legendary painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir, local authorities said on Tuesday, less than a year after a high-profile heist at the Louvre Museum in which thieves stole more than$100 million worth of French crown jewels. Brian Masson, mayor of Cagnes-sur-Mer, a commune on the French Riviera, said two people broke into the Renoir Museum on Tuesday morning and stole four works of art, Le Monde reported. Local police responded in five minutes after the alarms were triggered. Photos show the thieves entered the museum after cutting through its chain link fence, while surveillance cameras captured the two thieves fleeing and abandoning two of the paintings in the museum's garden as they ran.

1:16Masson said the estimated value of the stolen paintings was around 9 million euros or 10.4 million dollars. A hunt for the suspects and an investigation into the robbery are ongoing. a law enforcement official told the Associated Press. Regional news outlet Nice Matin reported that Coco Reading, Madame Colonna Romano and Young Girl at the Well were among the works the thieves targeted. The museum, which opened in 1960, was Renoir's last home before his death and its collection included several objects linked to the legendary painter's life, including easels and furniture. In total, the museum displayed 12 Oinoir paintings.

1:57Tuesday's heist comes after a group of thieves used a cherry picker to break into the Louvre last October before escaping the museum's Apollo Gallery on scooters carrying French crown jewels. Authorities said the total value of the stolen goods is estimated at around 88 million euros or 100 million dollars. The Apollo Gallery was finally reopened to the public in July, but none of the remaining crown jewels were put on display. The jewels were moved into a secure storage area, and visitors entering the Apollo Gallery can now only view its gilded ceilings and walls, sculptures and frescoes. For more on this story, click the link in the description.

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