In less than three minutes, a group of thieves allegedly stole three paintings worth millions of dollars from a private museum in Northern Italy.
The three paintings allegedly taken in the heist from the Magnani Rocca Foundation museum outside of Parma, Italy, were all from French masters. Police claim the paintings “Fish” by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, “Still Life with Cherries” by Paul Cezanne, and “Odalisque on the Terrace” by Henri Matisse are missing. The estimated value of the stolen paintings exceeds 9 million euros, or $10.3 million.
Four masked individuals broke into the Villa dei Capolavori, or the “Villa of Masterpieces” in English, which houses the Magnani Rocca Foundation, on March 22. Police claim the masked individuals forced their way into the front door and escaped out of the garden by hopping a fence.
The security alarm reportedly interrupted the heist, but the alleged thieves still managed to get away with the three paintings from the French room on the first floor. While the alarm system stopped the thieves before they stole more artwork, the museum believes a “structured and organized” gang operation was behind the heist.
The police have yet to make an arrest in the case, and the suspects remain at large.
The robbery marks the second coordinated heist of an iconic European museum in recent months.
In October, thieves disguised as construction workers stole 88 million euros’ worth of historic jewels in the Louvre Museum in Paris.
