The Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer, on the French Riviera, was broken into on the morning of 8 September 2026. France’s Culture Ministry says two people forced entry at 5:48 a.m. and took four paintings by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, on deposit from the Musée d’Orsay since 1995, from the Gangnat room.

The works are Portrait de Madame Stephen Pichon, La Jeune Femme au puits, Coco lisant and Portrait de Madame Colonna Romano. Three are classified MNR (Musées Nationaux Récupération) — cultural property recovered after the Second World War whose owners could not be identified. Two paintings were abandoned during the escape and recovered near the museum: Portrait de Madame Stephen Pichon and Coco lisant. Still sought are Portrait de Madame Colonna Romano and La Jeune Femme au puits.

The alarm sounded at 5:48; municipal police arrived at 5:53. The investigation is led by the organised-crime directorate. Culture minister Catherine Pégard condemned the theft and called for a stronger culture of security in museums. In July 2026 the ministry announced a security action plan with a €30 million fund; 482 priority projects have already been supported, and the Missa mission will have a stricter role, including a binding opinion on loans from national museums.

The Cagnes-sur-Mer case has renewed debate about regional museums that must remain open to the public even though some works are high-value and can be taken in minutes. Famous paintings are hard to sell openly, but that does not prevent theft. This article does not reproduce news-agency photographs of the investigation.

Image: Tangopaso, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0. Exterior of the Musée Renoir, not a photograph of the 8 September investigation. Cropped to 16:9.

Source consulted: Vol au musée Renoir de Cagnes-sur-Mer | Ministère de la Culture, 8 septembre 2026.