Renoir paintings recovered in Clermont-l'Hérault, hidden wall revealed
Two works by Auguste Renoir stolen in September in Cagnes-sur-Mer have been discovered in a house in Clermont-l'Hérault, hidden behind an invisible false wall. Five suspects have been arrested.
Paintings discovered in concealed hiding place
The two Renoir paintings that went missing on 8 September from Cagnes-sur-Mer were located on Friday in a house in Clermont-l'Hérault, situated 380 kilometres from the museum, according to TF1 Info. The works — Young Woman at the Well and Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano, valued at 4.2 million euros — were found in the house's laundry room, hidden behind a false plasterboard wall that was "completely invisible", revealed on Monday Nicolas Bessone, prosecutor of the Republic for Marseille.
The second canvas suffered a tear during the theft, whilst the other had its frame damaged. One of the two works and a protective cover left in the museum's garden during the escape provided decisive DNA traces.
The modus operandi revealed
The two burglars acted shortly before 6 a.m. in September. They cut through fencing and forced open a room at the rear of the museum before gaining entry inside. One of them used a long-handled reciprocating saw to detach the paintings whilst the other placed them in protective covers, demonstrating careful preparation, the prosecutor specified.
The perpetrators and the receiver showed a "certain degree of preparation" in the execution of the theft, according to the authorities. Investigators are favouring the hypothesis that the two men acted without a third party commissioning the crime.
Five suspects arrested
A first suspect, a 29-year-old man from an affluent background, was identified thanks to DNA traces found on the cover. He had a criminal record for drug trafficking, which he managed via social media. This man was arrested along with four other men and a woman during an operation in which another burglary was being prepared, targeting the Maeght Foundation in Saint-Paul-de-Vence.
The two paintings will be examined and restored in Marseille.
Source: TF1 Info