Italian authorities announced on Friday that three valuable paintings by renowned French artists Paul Cézanne, Henri Matisse, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, which were stolen from a museum near Parma in March, have been recovered. The Carabinieri officers discovered the artwork in an apartment in Parma and have initiated an investigation involving nine Moldovan individuals in connection with the theft.
The 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 during the night of March 22-23. Experts estimated the value of the stolen artwork to be over €9 million ($14.4 million).
A video released by the police captured the swift theft, showing two masked burglars entering through a window, swiftly removing the paintings from the wall, and exiting the premises in less than three minutes. The Fondazione Magnani Rocca, known for its private collection curated by the late music critic Luigi Magnani, houses works by renowned artists such as Titian, Francisco Goya, Claude Monet, and others.
This recovery marks a significant milestone in the ongoing investigation into the high-profile art heist that drew international attention earlier this year.
