Two Recently Stolen Renoir Paintings Were Found Hidden Behind a Cinderblock Wall. French Police Used DNA Evidence and Vehicle Tracking to Crack the Case

The bungled heist took place at the Renoir Museum on the French Riviera in September. French authorities made six arrests and believe they prevented another “imminent” theft, possibly at a nearby modern art museum

Sarah Kuta | Daily Correspondent

October 14, 2026 8:00 a.m.

Share

Copy linkEmailSMSFacebookXRedditLinkedInBlueskyPrint

Add as preferred source

Investigators have recovered two Pierre-Auguste Renoir paintings stolen from a museum in France last month. Officials say both works are damaged and will require restoration work.

Last month, thieves broke into the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer and used an electric saw to slice through the bolts holding four works in place. Perched on a hill about ten miles southwest of Nice on the French Rivera, the Renoir Museum is located in the Impressionist painter’s last home, where he lived until his death in 1919.

The perpetrators cut free four total paintings, which were on loan from the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. They left two behind while evading the police, who responded in under five minutes, thanks to the museum’s alarm system.

Now, authorities have recovered the two works that the thieves absconded with—Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano, painted in 1910, and Young Woman at the Well, painted in 1886—together worth an estimated $4.7 million, per Sylvie Corbet and Eva Van Dam of the Associated Press (AP).

The two paintings were discovered last week stashed at a home in Clermont-l’Hérault, a town about 220 miles west of Cagnes-sur-Mer.

“The paintings were hidden behind a solid cinderblock wall. They were completely undetectable,” prosecutor Nicolas Bessone told journalists, as reported by the London Times’ David Chazan. “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 paintings.”

Police have arrested six suspects in connection with the crime. Two are accused of carrying out the burglary, while another is believed to be a middleman who buys and sells stolen items. Investigators have not revealed the roles of the other three suspects.

One of the suspects, a 29-year-old man, has been placed under formal investigation, the French equivalent of being charged, per the Times. The man, who was previously arrested in 2020 on suspicion of dealing drugs while at university, could be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison if he is convicted in connection with the museum burglary.

Jean-Denis Flori, the man’s lawyer, tells the Agence France-Presse that police found traces of his client’s DNA on a protective sleeve which was covering the two works that were abandoned by the thieves in the museum garden.

Escaping from the scene of the crime, the burglars allegedly used—and then abandoned—a stolen vehicle before transferring to a vehicle associated with the 29-year-old man. Investigators were already tracking this man’s vehicle in connection with his earlier drug charges, so they monitored his movements in the days following the Renoir Museum heist, per the AP.

The 29-year-old man and a 41-year-old man allegedly went to a third man’s home not long after the Renoir burglary. The 29-year-old then visited the Maeght Foundation, a museum with a large modern art collection just five miles from the Renoir Museum, and later met with a fourth man who had a history of art theft and forgery.

Police arrested the suspects on the “very strong suspicion that another heist was imminent,” according to Bessone, as reported by the AP.

While the two stolen paintings are now recovered, they are in poor condition. The canvas of Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano is torn, while the frame of Young Woman at the Well is damaged. Both have been taken to the Interdisciplinary Center for the Conservation and Restoration of Heritage in Marseille for repairs.

In a statement, Bryan Masson, the mayor of Cagnes-sur-Mer, described the two paintings as “far more than works of art,” according to ARTnews’ Hikmat Mohammed. He added: “Their recovery is a tremendous relief for the people of Cagnes-sur-Mer and for everyone who cares deeply about our museum.”

Sarah Kuta is a writer and editor based in Longmont, Colorado. She covers history, science, travel, food and beverage, sustainability, economics and other topics.