Posted on 08/14/2026 6:05:39 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Three paintings by Renoir, Cézanne and Matisse worth millions of euros that were stolen earlier this year in a three-minute heist were recovered by Italian police.
Italian Carabinieri's art recovery squad said in a statement on Friday that the paintings were discovered during searches ordered by prosecutors in the Parma province and neighboring provinces. Five suspects were detained and they are believed to belong to an organized crime group responsible for numerous thefts of homes, businesses and other properties. Police also recovered stolen goods worth tens of thousands of euros. The recovered artworks are Paul Cézanne's "Tasse et Plat de Cerises" ("Cup and Plate of Cherries"), Pierre-Auguste Renoir's "Les Poissons" ("The Fish") and Henri Matisse's "Odalisque sur la Terrasse" ("Odalisque on the Terrace"). Art experts have valued the three paintings at more than $10 million.
The paintings were taken during a heist at the Magnani Rocca Foundation, a private museum about 12 miles from the northern city of Parma, on the night of March 22-23. Police said thieves forced open the entrance door. Police on Friday released a video of the theft, showing two masked burglars entering through a window, grabbing the three paintings off the wall, and then immediately exiting the building.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
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European mobsters steal art that’s too well-known, too “hot” to fence, then store it as insurance. If they ever get convicted and sentenced to prison, they negotiate the return of the stolen art in return for a reduced sentence.
Parma was where parmesan cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano ) originated, and the wunnerful prosciutto di parma ham.
Tell that to the Isabell Gardener Museum.
What’s the point of stealing famous paintings? Let’s say someone successfully steals the Mona Lisa, how is he going to make money off it?
You send them a picture with a gun held to her head and demand a ransom. That is the basic business plan. All the rest are details.
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