Renoir paintings stolen from Riviera museum recovered, six people arrested

Six Arrested After Renoir Paintings Stolen from Riviera Museum Are Recovered

Recovery of Stolen Renoir Paintings and Arrests

Theft at the Renoir Museum

PARIS, Oct 9 (Reuters) - Two Renoir paintings worth millions of dollars that were stolen from a museum on the French Riviera a month ago have been recovered and six suspects have been arrested, the local mayor said on Friday.

Thieves had broken into the grounds of the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer early in the morning of September 8 through a hole cut in a garden fence and entered through a window.

Details of the Stolen Artworks

The two paintings by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, an Impressionist whose works have fetched tens of millions of dollars at auction, were "Madame Colonna Romano" and "Young Woman at the Well". Both belong to Paris' Orsay Museum and were on loan.

Reaction from Local Authorities

"This news is a source of immense joy and a great relief for the town of Cagnes-sur-Mer and its residents," mayor Bryan Masson said in a statement.

Investigation and Recovery Efforts

Prosecutor's Office and Press Conference

The Marseille public prosecutor's office did not immediately respond to questions about how the paintings had been recovered. The mayor scheduled a press conference on Thursday afternoon then cancelled it so as not to interfere with the investigation.

Other Paintings Involved in the Theft

Paintings Dropped During Police Chase

The thieves had also snatched two other paintings, "Madame Pichon" and "Coco Reading", a portrayal of Claude, Renoir's young son. But they dropped them in the gardens as police, alerted by alarms, arrived and gave chase.

(Reporting by Dominique Vidalon, Inti Landauro; Editing by Kevin Liffey)