Italian police recover stolen Cézanne, Renoir and Matisse paintings

Italian police have recovered three paintings by Paul Cézanne, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Henri Matisse worth more than $10 million, months after masked thieves stole them from a museum near Parma in a burglary that lasted less than three minutes.

The Carabinieri’s art recovery squad said Friday that the works were found during searches ordered by prosecutors in Parma and nearby provinces. Al Jazeera, citing police, reported that the paintings were retrieved from an apartment in Parma. Authorities said the suspects are believed to be part of an organized crime group linked to numerous thefts from homes, businesses and other properties.

The recovered paintings are Cézanne’s “Tasse et Plat de Cerises” (“Cup and Plate of Cherries”), Renoir’s “Les Poissons” (“The Fish”) and Matisse’s “Odalisque sur la Terrasse” (“Odalisque on the Terrace”). Art experts have valued the three works at more than $10 million.

The paintings were stolen from the Magnani Rocca Foundation, a private museum about 12 miles from the northern Italian city of Parma, on the night of March 22-23. The institution, established in 1977, houses the collection of art historian Luigi Magnani and includes works by artists such as Dürer, Rubens, Van Dyck, Goya and Monet.

Police said the thieves forced open the entrance door. Video released Friday shows two masked burglars entering through a window, removing the three paintings from the wall and leaving almost immediately. Al Jazeera reported that the footage also shows the burglars handing the artworks to an accomplice waiting outside. An alarm was triggered during the theft, local media reported, and the thieves escaped across the museum gardens.

Investigators said key evidence was recovered at the scene, including a pickaxe and a fire extinguisher whose serial numbers had been removed. Forensic officers reconstructed the serial numbers, linking the items to an apartment building accessible to one alleged member of the criminal gang.

Authorities gave differing figures on the number of people under scrutiny. The Carabinieri said five suspects were detained and identified them as Moldovan-born residents of the Parma area. Andrea Pagliaro, Parma’s police chief, told AFP that nine Moldovans were being investigated and that five were believed to have carried out the burglary. Police also recovered stolen goods worth tens of thousands of euros during the searches.

The recovery came amid a series of high-profile art and museum theft cases in Europe, including the theft of French crown jewels and other items from the Louvre in Paris.

Separately, authorities in Brazil said Thursday they had recovered eight Matisse illustrations stolen from the Biblioteca Mario de Andrade in São Paulo. CBS News, citing the BBC, reported that the works were found in a home in São Bernardo do Campo, a suburb of São Paulo, and were valued at about $200,000. Al Jazeera reported that a man was arrested at the property and that the artworks had been returned to the library.

The recovered prints, made for the art book “Jazz,” include “Le Clown,” “Le Cirque,” “Monsieur Loyal,” “Cauchemar de L’Eléphant Blanc,” “Le Codomas,” “La Nageuse Dans L’Aquarium,” “L’Avaleur de Sabres” and “Le Cowboy.” CBS News reported that 13 pieces of art and historical items were stolen from the library in December 2025, and that five works by Brazilian artist Cândido Portinari remain missing.