A spectacular robbery took place in the early hours of the morning at the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer, southern France. Two men forced their way into the museum dedicated to the famous French impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir and managed to take four works of art.
According to the mayor of Cagnes-sur-Mer, Bryan Masson, the estimated value of the stolen works is around 9 million euros.
The museum's alarm was activated at 05:48 in the morning, and just five minutes later, at 05:53, the municipal police arrived at the scene. The perpetrators, identified through security cameras, ran away from the museum.
During their escape, the robbers abandoned one of the works of art they had taken. Meanwhile, municipal and national police have been engaged at the scene and have launched a search to capture the perpetrators.
Mayor Bryan Masson called the robbery an attack on the history and cultural heritage of Cagnes-sur-Mer, stressing the importance of protecting works of art.
"The attack on the Renoir Museum is an attack on part of the history and heritage of Cagnes-sur-Mer," Masson declared, adding that authorities will make all necessary resources available to strengthen the security of the museums.
Investigations continue to identify and arrest the two perpetrators, while police are working to clarify all the circumstances of the robbery and to recover the other stolen items.
