Italian authorities have successfully retrieved three valuable paintings by French artists Paul Cézanne, Henri Matisse, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir that were stolen from a museum close to Parma earlier this year. Carabinieri officers discovered the artworks in an apartment in Parma, leading to the investigation of 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 on the night of March 22-23. Experts estimate the combined value of the recovered artwork to be over €9 million ($14.4 million).
Police shared a video of the theft, revealing two masked burglars entering through a window, swiftly removing the paintings from the wall, and making a quick escape in less than three minutes. The Fondazione Magnani Rocca is renowned for housing a private collection curated by the late music critic Luigi Magnani, featuring works by prominent artists like Titian, Francisco Goya, and Claude Monet.
The successful recovery of these stolen masterpieces marks a significant victory in the fight against art theft and preservation of cultural heritage.