Two stolen Renoir paintings recovered in France; six people detained

Two paintings by Auguste Renoir stolen from a museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer in southern France have been recovered, Japanese outlets reported, citing French media. Tokyo Shimbun's October 9 report said investigators had confirmed that both missing works had been found and police had detained six people. TBS NEWS DIG reported on October 10 that all four paintings taken in the incident were now recovered. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]

Tokyo Shimbun said two people broke into the museum on September 8 and attempted to steal four paintings. Two works had already been found in the museum's courtyard. TBS said the alarm activated immediately and police arrived five minutes after the break-in. It reported that the intruders fled but dropped two of the stolen paintings, which were recovered. The outlet put the initial combined value of the four works at €9 million, or about ¥1.6 billion. [ 4 , 5 ]

The reports differ on when the six people were detained. Tokyo Shimbun said police detained them on October 7 in Hérault and elsewhere, with two suspected of carrying out the break-in. TBS, citing French media, said the six were detained on October 9 and that the two remaining paintings had also been recovered. Tokyo Shimbun said the recovery location and any damage had not been disclosed; the later TBS report said the recovered paintings were undamaged. [ 4 , 5 ]

Tokyo Shimbun carried the mayor's statement, as reported by French media, expressing relief at the recovery and describing the two works as part of the town's history and heritage. The paper also noted thefts of cultural property in France and criticism of security arrangements, recalling the theft of historic jewellery from the Louvre in Paris the previous October. [ 4 ]