Italian authorities announced the successful recovery of three valuable paintings by French artists Paul Cézanne, Henri Matisse, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, which were stolen from a museum near the city of Parma in March. The Carabinieri officers uncovered the artworks in an apartment in Parma and revealed that nine Moldovan nationals are under investigation for the theft. The 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. Experts estimated the paintings to be worth over €9 million ($14.4 million).
A video released by the police depicted the swift theft, where two masked burglars entered through a window, swiftly removed the paintings from the wall, and exited the premises in less than three minutes. The Fondazione Magnani Rocca museum showcases 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.