Italian Police Recover Stolen Masterpieces
By Nino Kopaleishvili
Monday, August 24, 2026
The Italian police have recovered paintings by Paul Cézanne, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Henri Matisse that were stolen from a private museum near the northern city of Parma in March.
Five people suspected of the crime were detained, the Associated Press (AP) reported. The detainees are believed to be linked to an organized crime group that has conducted a number of thefts and burglaries.
The three artworks-"Fish" by Renoir, "Still Life with Cherries" by Cézanne, and "Odalisque on the Terrace" by Matisse-have been valued at more than 9 million euros (USD 10.4 million) in total.
Cézanne's painting is valued at about 6 million euros (USD 7 million), the Renoir is estimated at 3 million euros (USD 3.5 million), and Matisse's work is priced at 20,000 euros (USD 23,000). Other stolen goods estimated to be worth tens of thousands of euros were also discovered by police, according to the AP.
On March 30, international media reported that the theft took place overnight on March 22-23 at the Fondazione Magnani Rocca (The Magnani Rocca Foundation), located approximately 20 kilometers outside Parma.
Police distributed video footage showing two masked individuals entering through a broken door window, snatching the artworks from adjacent walls, and fleeing within minutes.
The Magnani Rocca Foundation, established in 1977 by prominent art collector Luigi Magnani in memory of his parents, houses one of Italy's most remarkable private art collections. Located in Mamiano Villa, the site was inaugurated as a museum in 1990.
"The Magnani Rocca Foundation aims at becoming a cultural centre not only for figurative arts but also for musical and literary ones," reads a statement on the foundation's website.
The five detainees, residing in Parma, are Moldovan nationals. According to Reuters, nine Moldovan nationals are currently under investigation. Police have not issued further details due to the ongoing inquiry.
On Thursday, August 13, Brazilian police reported finding eight artworks by Matisse during an apartment search on the outskirts of Săo Paulo. Those artworks, worth approximately USD 200,000, were stolen from a library in December of last year, The Guardian reported. No connection between the two crimes has been established.
