Italian police have recovered paintings by Renoir, Matisse, and Cezanne that were stolen in March from a private museum of the Magnani-Rocca Foundation near Parma, reports infohub.kz.
The artworks by French painters Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Paul Cezanne, and Henri Matisse were found in the home of one of the suspects. Parma police chief Andrea Pagliaro said that nine Moldovan citizens are being investigated, five of whom are believed to have taken part in the theft.
The stolen pieces include Renoir's late work "Fish," Cezanne's pencil and watercolor "Still Life with Cherries," and Matisse's watercolor "Odalisque on the Terrace." Their estimated market values are approximately 3 million, 6 million, and 20,000 euros, respectively.
As a reminder, the theft occurred on the night of March 22-23. According to police, the thieves, their faces hidden by hoods, broke in through the front door, took the paintings, and fled. The heist took exactly three minutes.
The Magnani-Rocca Foundation, which owns the museum, stated that this was a planned crime that was thwarted thanks to the video surveillance system and the prompt intervention of police and security.