Heist on the Riviera: Renoir Masterpieces Stolen

Two Renoir paintings were stolen from a museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer, France. The thieves entered through a breached fence and dropped two additional paintings while fleeing. Valued wildly at auctions, the stolen works were on loan from Paris' Orsay Museum. The incident highlights an increase in art thefts across Europe.

In a brazen act of art theft, two Renoir paintings were stolen from Cagnes-sur-Mer's museum on the French Riviera early Tuesday morning.

The thieves breached a garden fence, pilfering the masterpieces before abandoning others as police pursued.

Renoir's works are valued highly, fetching millions at auctions. The stolen paintings, "Madame Colonna Romano" and "Young Woman at the Well," were on loan from the Orsay Museum. Recently, European culture sites report increased thefts, prompting calls for tighter security.