Renoir, Cézanne, and Matisse works stolen in Italy recovered

Italian police have successfully recovered valuable artworks by Impressionist masters Auguste Renoir, Paul Cézanne, and Henri Matisse, which were stolen from a museum in Italy. The paintings, collectively valued at over $10.4 million, were taken from the Magnani Rocca Foundation villa near Parma.

The theft occurred in March, with masked thieves reportedly entering the villa and removing the paintings in less than three minutes. Video footage released by the Carabinieri art recovery squad shows two individuals using headlamps and covering their faces as they break into the villa through a window. They proceeded directly to the room containing the artworks, removed them from the walls, and passed them through the window to an accomplice waiting outside.

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The Fish, by Auguste Renoir, recovered from the stolen loot in Italy, is valued at US$3.5 million.

The recovered pieces include Renoir's "Les Poissons" (The Fish), valued at $3.5 million, Cézanne's "Still Life with Cherries," estimated at $7 million, and Matisse's "Odalisque on the Terrace," valued at $23,000. The Magnani Rocca Foundation, established by art historian Luigi Magnani, houses a significant collection, including works by Dürer, Rubens, Van Dyck, Goya, and Monet.

Authorities indicated that the artworks were discovered during searches ordered by the prosecutor's office, though specific details were not immediately provided. The investigation remains active. The foundation had previously suggested the heist was carried out by a structured and organized group, and that the theft could have been more extensive had an alarm not interrupted the operation.

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The investigation is ongoing.