Three paintings by renowned French artists Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Paul Cézanne and Henri Matisse have been stolen from a museum in northern Italy, police confirmed on Monday. The artworks, estimated to be worth around $10 million in total, were taken from the Fondazione Magnani Rocca near the city of Parma during the night of March 22–23.
According to Italy’s Carabinieri police, thieves forced entry through the museum’s main entrance and stole Cézanne’s Tasse et Plat de Cerises, Renoir’s Les Poissons, and Matisse’s Odalisque sur la Terrasse. Italian broadcaster Rai reported the value of the stolen works at about 9 million euros, though authorities have not officially confirmed the figure.
Museum officials said the robbery was completed in less than three minutes, suggesting a highly planned operation. The Fondazione Magnani Rocca houses a prestigious private collection assembled by late musicologist Luigi Magnani, featuring masterpieces by artists including Titian, Francisco Goya, Claude Monet, Peter Paul Rubens and Giorgio Morandi.
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