Italian authorities announced on Friday that Carabinieri officers have successfully recovered three valuable paintings by renowned French artists Paul Cézanne, Henri Matisse, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. The artworks, including Cezanne’s “Tasse et Plat de Cerises,” Renoir’s “Les Poissons,” and Matisse’s “Odalisque sur la Terrasse,” were stolen from the Fondazione Magnani Rocca museum near Parma back in March.
The Carabinieri officers found the stolen paintings in an apartment in Parma and have initiated an investigation involving nine Moldovan nationals in connection with the theft. The heist, which took place on the night of March 22-23, resulted in the loss of artworks estimated to be worth over €9 million ($14.4 million), according to art experts.
A video released by the police captured the swift theft, showing two masked burglars entering through a window, taking the three paintings from the wall, and swiftly exiting the premises within a mere three-minute operation. The Fondazione Magnani Rocca museum boasts a private collection curated by the late music critic Luigi Magnani, featuring works by prominent artists such as Titian, Francisco Goya, Claude Monet, and Giorgio Morandi.
The recovery of these stolen masterpieces marks a significant breakthrough in the investigation into the art theft that shocked the art world earlier this year.