Italian authorities announced the retrieval of three valuable paintings by renowned French artists Paul Cézanne, Henri Matisse, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir that were stolen from a museum near Parma earlier this year. The Carabinieri officers discovered the artworks in an apartment in Parma and initiated an investigation involving nine Moldovan nationals linked to the theft.
The stolen pieces, including Cézanne’s “Tasse et Plat de Cerises,” Renoir’s “Les Poissons,” and Matisse’s “Odalisque sur la Terrasse,” were taken from the Fondazione Magnani Rocca museum in Mamiano di Traversetolo during the night of March 22-23. Art specialists estimated the paintings’ combined value at over €9 million ($14.4 million).
Surveillance footage released by the police depicted two masked burglars breaking into the museum through a window, swiftly removing the three paintings from the wall, and exiting the premises in under three minutes. The Fondazione Magnani Rocca showcases a private collection curated by the late music critic Luigi Magnani, featuring works by prominent artists like Titian, Francisco Goya, and Claude Monet.
The successful recovery of these stolen masterpieces marks a significant victory in the fight against art theft and the protection of cultural heritage.