The robbery took place early on Sept. 8. The museum’s alarm went off at 5:48 a.m., and municipal police arrived at the scene five minutes later, Masson said.
Two thieves took four works of art from the museum but abandoned one of them while fleeing from law enforcement.
“Since early this morning, both municipal and national police have been working at the scene. The perpetrators are being actively sought, and an investigation is underway. An attack on the Renoir Museum is an attack on part of the history and cultural heritage of Cagnes-sur-Mer,” Masson said.
The stolen artworks are valued at around €9 million, The Independent reported.
Masson said the robbery underscored the urgent need to implement a comprehensive plan to improve museum security and protect works of art.
“We will devote all the necessary resources to better protect this cultural heritage, which belongs to all the residents of Cagnes-sur-Mer,” the mayor said.
The Renoir Museum was established in 1960 in the former home of French Impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir, located on a hill in Cagnes-sur-Mer near Nice. Renoir spent the final years of his life there and died in 1919.
The museum’s collection includes 13 original paintings by Renoir, around 40 sculptures, as well as furniture and photographs.