Italian authorities announced the successful recovery of three valuable paintings by renowned French artists Paul Cézanne, Henri Matisse, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir that were stolen from a museum near Parma in March. Carabinieri officers discovered the artworks in an apartment in Parma and have initiated an investigation involving nine Moldovan nationals in connection with the theft.
The stolen paintings, including Cezanne’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. Experts estimated the value of the artworks to be over €9 million ($14.4 million).
Video footage released by the police depicted the theft, showing two masked burglars entering through a window, swiftly removing the paintings from the wall, and leaving the premises within three minutes. The Fondazione Magnani Rocca museum, known for its private collection amassed by the late music critic Luigi Magnani, features works by renowned artists such as Titian, Francisco Goya, Claude Monet, and Giorgio Morandi.