Thieves in masks steal multi-million-dollar paintings from Italian museum

(SeaPRwire) –   Burglars forced their way into the villa housing the Magnani Rocca Foundation, making off with works by Renoir, Cezanne, and Matisse

Local authorities have reported that four masked robbers stole several high-value paintings from an Italian museum earlier this month.

Italian media estimates the stolen works—including Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s ‘Fish’, Henri Matisse’s ‘Odalisque on the Terrace’, and Paul Cezanne’s ‘Still Life with Cherries’—to be worth around $10 million.

On Monday, Italian police stated that the intruders gained forced entry into the Magnani Rocca Foundation’s villa near Parma on the night of March 22. Museum representatives told local outlets the heist lasted fewer than three minutes and appeared highly coordinated.

Investigators believe the group accessed the property through a rear gate, then pried open the entrance door with a crowbar, fleeing moments before officers arrived at the scene.

This brazen raid adds to a series of high-profile art thefts across Europe, highlighting the ongoing vulnerabilities of museums.

Last October, the Louvre Museum in neighboring France fell victim to a daring jewel heist. Four masked men armed with a chainsaw broke into the iconic Paris museum, using a crane to reach the second floor. Two of them forced their way into the Apollo Gallery, where they smashed a display case and fled with jewelry pieces reportedly worth $100 million. The theft quickly earned the moniker “the heist of the century” in local media.

French police arrested four suspects by late November, though the stolen jewelry has yet to be recovered.

Following the incident, Louvre director Laurence des Cars resigned, calling his decision an “act of responsibility.”

Speaking to France Inter on Monday, newly appointed Culture Minister Catherine Pegard said plans for a major renovation of the museum would be revised to place greater emphasis on security.