Renoir, Cézanne, Matisse, were all robbed in three minutes...Masked Four Stolen 15.6 Billion Dollars

*This content was translated by AI.

Renoir, Cézanne, and Matisse. The works of masters who will remain in art history disappeared in just three minutes.

Italy's Carabinieri (police) officially announced on the 30th (local time) that the theft occurred on the night of March 22 at the Magnani Rocca Foundation art museum near Parma, northern Italy. The masked quartet forcibly opened the front door of the museum and broke into it, then ran over the wall in the French exhibition room on the first floor with Renoir's 1917 oil painting "Fish," Cézanne's 1890 watercolor "Still Life with Cherries," and Matisse's 1922 painting "Odalisque on the Terrace." When the alarm system went off, he hurriedly left, so the fourth work was left on the scene. The entire process took less than three minutes, according to CNN.

The total amount of damage is estimated at about 9 million euros (about 15.6 billion won). Of these, Renoir's "fish" valuation alone amounts to about 6 million euros (about 10.4 billion won).

The incident was only made public a week after the incident. The foundation's lawyer explained to CNN, "We delayed the disclosure to proceed with the investigation quietly in case the criminals returned." The foundation said the crime was "a carefully planned systematic crime."

Christopher Marinello, head of Art Recovery International, a company specializing in art collection, told The Art Newspaper, "The criminals learned that in the Louvre theft case, if they move quickly, they can invade any art museum," and warned, "It's time for art galleries to seriously consider a three-minute theft scenario."

The incident is similar to the one in which a masked quartet stole nine royal jewels in seven minutes from the Louvre Museum in Paris, France, in October last year, putting the European art world on edge. So far, no suspects have been arrested, and the museum is in normal operation.

Founded in 1977 by art critic Luigi Mannani, the Mannani Rocca Foundation is considered one of Italy's best private art galleries, with works by Dürer, Rubens, Van Dyke, Goya, and Monet in addition to Renoir, Cezanne, and Matisse.

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*This content was translated by AI.