Sept. 8 (UPI) — Two thieves stole several works of art early Tuesday from the Renoir Museum in southern France, according to a local mayor.
Bryan Masson, the mayor of Cagnes-sur-Mer, the French Riviera city where the museum is located, said in a statement on his Facebook page that the facility’s alarm was triggered at 5:48 a.m. local time, prompting the deployment of local law enforcement.
He said four pieces of artwork were stolen, but one painting was abandoned as the thieves fled the scene, which was captured on surveillance cameras.
“To attack the Renoir Museum is to attack a part of the history and heritage of #CagnesSurMer,” he said in the statement.
“These acts are particularly serious.”
The specific pieces of artwork stolen were not identified.
National and local police have been mobilized and the thieves were being pursued, he said.
“We will devote all necessary resources to better protect this heritage, which belongs to all the people of Cagnes-sur-Mer,” he added.
Created in 1960, the museum is located at the final home of famed French painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir, who died in 1919. According to the museum, it hosts a dozen original paintings, objects, photos and furniture belonging to the late artist.
The theft comes weeks after police in Italy and Brazil announced the recovery of artwork by Henri Matisse, Paul Cezanne and Renoir worth millions of dollars that were stolen in two separate heists, authorities said.
Of the three paintings whose recovery was announced last month, Les Poisson (The Fish), an oil painting, was by Renoir and has a value of $3.5 million.