Thieves have stolen three valuable paintings by Renoir, Cézanne, and Matisse from a museum located near Parma in northern Italy, as confirmed by the police on Monday. The robbery occurred overnight between March 22 and March 23 when the perpetrators forcibly entered through the museum’s entrance.
The stolen artworks include “Fish” by Renoir, “Still Life with Cherries” by Cézanne, and “Odalisque on the Terrace” by Matisse. The Magnani Rocca Foundation, a prestigious private museum situated approximately 20 kilometers from Parma, was the target of the theft.
Reports suggest that the thieves managed to swiftly seize the paintings in under three minutes before escaping through the museum gardens. The foundation, founded in 1977 and housing the collection of renowned art historian Luigi Magnani, features works by artists such as Dürer, Rubens, Van Dyck, Goya, and Monet.
According to local media, the museum suspects that an organized criminal group executed the heist, which was disrupted by the alarm system. The museum has not issued any official statement regarding the incident on its website and was unavailable for comments due to its closure on Monday.
This theft in Parma follows a series of high-profile art heists in major European museums, including a notable incident in October where thieves stole valuables worth millions from the Louvre in Paris. Italian art expert Claudio Strinati noted that the stolen paintings are considered minor works by the respective artists within the foundation’s collection. He also suggested that a ransom demand could potentially follow the theft, as art thefts are sometimes motivated by extortion.
