Renoir paintings stolen from French Riviera museum recovered, six suspects arrested

Two paintings by French master Pierre-Auguste Renoir have been recovered a month after they were stolen from a museum in southern France, the town's mayor said Friday.

In September, thieves broke into the museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer and managed to escape with two works by the French impressionist painter, abandoning two others as they fled.

"These two paintings are not simply works of art. They are part of our city's history," said Bryan Masson, the mayor of Cagnes-sur-Mer.

"Knowing they have been recovered is an immense relief."

There has not yet been any statement from the police and Masson did not give any details regarding where the works were found or their condition.

The suspects cut through a fence to enter the museum's tree-lined grounds, smashed a window to get inside, and used an electric saw to cut through the frame mountings, Masson said at the time of the robbery in early September.

Read moreFrench police hunt Renoir thieves after lightning museum heist

The theft took place in just a matter of minutes, shortly before 6:00am (0400 GMT).

A source close to the probe told AFP earlier this week that police had arrested five people as part of the investigation.

According to Masson, the museum alarm and police sirens forced the burglars – which he described as "well equipped and well informed" about the museum – to hurry.

They made off with a portrait titled "Madame Colonna Romano" and the depiction of a woman at a well called "Jeune femme au puits", his office said.

The paintings dropped during their escape include "Madame Pichon" and "Coco lisant", a portrait of Renoir's young son Claude reading.

Museum robberies

The police said at the time of the robbery that it was clear that they were not first-time offenders, and that they had scoped out the premises before the crime.

The Renoir Museum lies a half-hour drive from the southern city of Nice, in Renoir's last home before he died aged 78 in 1919.

Its collection comprises nine paintings by Renoir, according to the museum.

It also includes several sculptures by him, as well as objects and furniture that belonged to the painter, such as his easel and wheelchair.

A spate of heists at French museums – including at the Louvre – has highlighted inadequate security in some cases and led to questions about whether criminal gangs see them as soft targets.

Watch moreThe Louvre heist: Security flaws and deeper cracks at France’s top museum

Crown jewellery valued at around $100 million was stolen in broad daylight from the Louvre in Paris last year.

The four suspected Louvre robbers have been arrested, but the jewels they are accused of grabbing in the seven-minute heist have still not been found.

Italian police in August said they had recovered paintings by Renoir, Cezanne and Matisse worth over $10.4 million that were stolen in a three-minute heist from a museum in March.

And earlier this week, a book featuring a cover made of bronze and designed by Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dali was stolen from an art museum in central France.