Renoir, Cézanne and Matisse paintings stolen in Italian job

A group of four thieves, wearing masks, gained access to the Magnani Rocca Foundation villa near Parma, Italy, on 22 March, according to police. The criminals removed three masterpieces: *Les Poissons* by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, *Still Life with Cherries* by Paul Cézanne, and *Odalisque on the Terrace* by Henri Matisse. Their escape was swift, lasting just three minutes, until the museum’s alarm system triggered an alert.

The foundation described the suspects as “structured and organised,” suggesting they had planned to steal more had the alarms not activated.

Italian media reported that the robbers forced entry through the main door of the Villa dei Capolavori, a historic site located in the countryside. The paintings were taken from the French Room on the first floor. Regional broadcaster TGR noted the thieves fled by scaling a fence, leaving no trace of their presence.

Les Poissons, a 1917 oil-on-canvas work, is one of Renoir’s most celebrated pieces, valued at €6 million. The Cézanne, dated to around 1890, stands out as a rare watercolour still-life, a technique he adopted only in his later years. Matisse’s *Odalisque on the Terrace*, created in 1922, features two figures—one lounging in sunlight, the other holding a violin.

The total value of the stolen artworks is estimated at €9 million, marking one of the largest art heists in Italy recently. This incident follows a similar theft at the Louvre in Paris last October, where priceless jewels were stolen during daylight hours. The Carabinieri and Bologna’s Cultural Heritage Protection Unit are now leading the investigation.

News of the robbery was released on Sunday, after the alarm system alerted authorities. The Magnani Rocca Foundation, founded in 1984 following the death of composer and art collector Luigi Magnani, is now seeking answers about the security breach that occurred in his family home.