French museums have endured a string of fast, violent smash-and-grab thefts this summer, including the seizure of a 2,500-year-old gold necklace and two Renoir paintings. Europol warns thieves increasingly use heavy tools and target meltable gold and gemstones. Smaller museums report rising costs to upgrade security while funding remains uncertain, and cultural foundations call for urgent investment to protect France's heritage.
Smash-and-Grab Wave Hits French Museums: Renoirs, Ancient Gold and Growing Security Concerns
This photo provided by City of Cagnes-sur-Mer, southern France, shows 'Coco lisant', a painting by Pierre-Auguste Renoir stolen at the Renoir museum, in Cagnes-sur-Mer, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. (City of Cagnes-sur-Mer via AP)(City of Cagnes-sur-Mer via AP)
French museums have been hit by a series of rapid, violent smash-and-grab robberies this summer, exposing growing vulnerabilities in how cultural treasures are protected. Thieves have used sledgehammers, cutting tools and loud, brazen tactics to seize items ranging from a 2,500-year-old gold necklace to two paintings by Pierre-Auguste Renoir.
Recent Thefts
In late July, two men wearing wigs smashed a display case with a sledgehammer and a handheld hammer at a museum in Châtillon-sur-Seine, making off in under four minutes with a 2,500-year-old gold necklace weighing nearly half a kilo.
The Renoir Museum is pictured after thieves stole four valuable Renoir paintings, in Cagnes-sur-Mer, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)(AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)
Also in July, three masked burglars forced entry through two doors at another museum and escaped with 27 pieces of jewelry valued at more than €4.5 million (about $5.2 million).
Shortly before dawn this week, two intruders cut through a fence with an electric saw or knife and entered a ground-floor window of the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer, between Cannes and Nice. They fled through the garden with two Renoir paintings, "Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano" and "Young Woman at the Well," and abandoned two other works, "Portrait of Madame Pichon" and "Coco Reading." Town mayor Bryan Masson estimated the stolen paintings' combined value at around €9 million (about $10.5 million). The theft took under three minutes.
This photo provided by City of Cagnes-sur-Mer, southern France, shows 'Portrait de madame Stephen Pichon', a painting by Pierre-Auguste Renoir stolen at the Renoir museum, in Cagnes-sur-Mer, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. (City of Cagnes-sur-Mer via AP)(City of Cagnes-sur-Mer via AP)
Why Thieves Target Museums
European police agency Europol warns that museum burglaries have become more violent: attackers are using sledgehammers, axes, crowbars and even explosives to smash showcases and force entry. Criminals are increasingly targeting items that can be quickly melted down or stripped for gemstones, believing museum security is often less robust than that of jewelry stores.
Jean-Christophe Castelain, director of the art-world bimonthly Le Journal des Arts, said this summer saw a record 10 burglaries against French and other European museums, eight of which targeted jewelry, coins or other objects that can be melted down.
The entrance of the Renoir Museum is pictured after thieves stole four valuable Renoir paintings, in Cagnes-sur-Mer, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)(AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)
Impact on Smaller Museums
The Lalique Museum in Wingen-sur-Moder—dedicated to jeweler and glassmaker René Lalique—remains closed after a July 5 raid in which thieves used sledgehammers and hammers to smash six display cases and steal jewelry. Director Véronique Brumm Schaich said the museum is seeking about €200,000 (roughly $233,000) for security upgrades and is soliciting private donations as government resources are tight.
"Robbers' tactics are evolving," Brumm Schaich said. "The recent examples show that we are not the only ones who need to go further in our efforts."
Calls For Investment
Guillaume Poitrinal, president of the Fondation du patrimoine, said the Louvre jewel heist last year—when crown jewels worth €88 million were stolen from the Apollo gallery—served as a wake-up call. "When the jewels of a French king disappear, to be melted down because of the price of gold, it is tragic. It breaks everyone's heart," he told The Associated Press.
FILE - A person photographs Leonardo da Vinci's painting Mona Lisa at the Louvre museum, Aug. 31, 2025, in Paris. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, file)(AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Poitrinal urged greater investment in security and said the foundation helps fund restorations and protection work, partly through proceeds from a national lottery. To boost museum revenues, the foundation plans to introduce a pass granting subscribers access to 500 museums, monuments and châteaux.
What Comes Next
Authorities stress that well-known stolen paintings are difficult to sell on legitimate markets and may be used as bargaining chips, trophies or held for ransom. But many institutions—especially smaller regional museums—face hard choices about how to pay for upgrades. Officials, curators and cultural foundations say better protection is essential to safeguard France's cultural heritage and its tourism economy.
Associated Press journalists Catherine Gaschka and Alex Turnbull in Paris contributed to this report.
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