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Paintings by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Paul Cezanne, and Henri Matisse were stolen from a museum near Parma in a rapid overnight heist, with authorities saying the operation took less than three minutes.
The theft targeted the Magnani Rocca Foundation, located in Mamiano di Traversetolo in northern Italy, where three works were taken from the Villa dei Capolavori, which houses one of the country’s most significant private art collections.
The robbery took place during the night between March 22 and 23, when a group of professional thieves forced their way into the villa, according to Italy’s ANSA news agency.
The foundation said the operation was carried out in a structured and organised manner, rather than being improvised.
The alarm system was triggered during the break-in, which prevented the theft from being fully completed and led to a rapid response from internal security, the Carabinieri (national gendarmerie), and surveillance personnel.
Investigators from the Parma Carabinieri, supported by the Cultural Heritage Protection Unit, are continuing the investigation and reviewing surveillance footage.
The stolen works have been identified as:
Renoir’s "Les Poissons," an oil painting from the late period of the artist’s life, is one of the rare examples of his work held in a permanent collection in Italy and is valued at several million euros.
The paintings were displayed in the French Room on the first floor of the villa at the time of the theft.
The operation was not completed as planned due to the activation of security systems, suggesting the group may have intended to take additional work.
The Magnani Rocca Foundation holds the collection of Luigi Magnani, a critic, musicologist, and writer, and is considered one of Italy’s key cultural institutions.
The collection includes works by artists such as Titian, Dürer, Rubens, Goya, Canova, Monet, and Giorgio Morandi.
At the time of the theft, the foundation was hosting an exhibition dedicated to Symbolism, featuring more than 140 works and scheduled to run until June 28.
The museum remains open to the public as investigations continue.
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