Italian authorities have successfully retrieved three valuable paintings by renowned French artists Paul Cézanne, Henri Matisse, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, which were stolen from a museum close to the city of Parma in March. The Carabinieri officers discovered the artworks in an apartment in Parma and have initiated an investigation involving nine Moldovan individuals in connection with the theft.
The stolen pieces, namely 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, near Parma, during the night of March 22-23. The estimated value of these paintings exceeded €9 million ($14.4 million), as confirmed by art experts.
Law enforcement authorities released a surveillance video showcasing the theft incident, where two masked burglars swiftly entered through a window, removed the paintings from the wall, and swiftly exited the premises in less than three minutes.
The Fondazione Magnani Rocca is known for housing a private collection curated by the late music critic Luigi Magnani, featuring works by renowned artists such as Titian, Francisco Goya, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Claude Monet, Peter Paul Rubens, and Giorgio Morandi.
