Two thieves broke into the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer, southern France, stealing four artworks, according to the local mayor. One of the stolen pieces was dropped by the individuals as they fled the scene.
Bryan Masson, the far-right mayor of Cagnes-sur-Mer, stated that the town's video surveillance cameras spotted the two individuals. His office estimates the value of the stolen works at €9m (£7.7m).
The museum's alarm activated at 5:48 am, and municipal police were on site five minutes later, at 5:53 am. The museum, opened in 1960, is located in Pierre-Auguste Renoir's last home and houses his personal objects, furniture, and paintings.
This incident follows a robbery less than a year ago at the Louvre in Paris, where eight items valued at around €88m were stolen. Europol reported last month that art thieves in Europe are increasingly committing more violent robberies, with specialist gangs being replaced by ad-hoc opportunists recruited via social media.