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Two paintings by French Impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir, stolen from a museum in southern France in September, were found concealed behind a concrete wall in a private home, with both artworks sustaining damage that will require restoration, prosecutors announced Monday, Oct. 12.
The paintings, "Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano" and "Young Woman at the Well," were recovered Thursday, Oct. 8, during a police search in Clermont-l'Herault, following the arrest of six suspects connected to the theft.
Marseille prosecutor Nicolas Bessone said investigators had tracked down the artworks after questioning a suspect who admitted receiving the stolen paintings.
Speaking at a news conference in Paris, Bessone explained that the paintings had been hidden behind a solid cinderblock wall, making them virtually impossible to detect during a routine search.
"The paintings were hidden behind a solid cinderblock wall. They were completely undetectable," Bessone said.
According to the prosecutor, investigators managed to locate the works after questioning the person believed to have received the stolen property.
The discovery followed the arrest of six people, including a woman, on Wednesday, Oct. 7. A 29-year-old man identified as the main suspect was subsequently charged over the weekend after DNA evidence linked him to the museum theft.
Although both paintings were recovered in relatively good condition, authorities confirmed that they had suffered damage while in the possession of the suspects.
Bessone said the frame of "Young Woman at the Well" had been slightly damaged, while "Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano" had sustained a tear in the canvas, specifically in the area depicting the subject's dress.
Both artworks will require restoration before they can be fully preserved, the prosecutor said.
The paintings were among four Renoir works targeted during the September burglary at the museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer, a town on France's Mediterranean coast. The thieves escaped with two paintings but abandoned the other two while fleeing.
The combined value of the four artworks was estimated at approximately €9 million ($10 million).
French Culture Minister Catherine Pegard welcomed the recovery, praising the investigators whose efforts helped bring back the paintings.
"Their commitment made it possible to recover these works in record time," the Culture Ministry said.
The case comes amid growing scrutiny of museum security in France following several high-profile thefts, including a robbery at the Louvre Museum in Paris last year.
During that incident, thieves stole crown jewels valued at approximately $100 million in a seven-minute heist carried out in broad daylight.
Although four suspected perpetrators were subsequently arrested, the stolen jewels remain missing.
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