Italian authorities have successfully retrieved three valuable paintings by renowned French artists Paul Cézanne, Henri Matisse, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir that were stolen from a museum near the city of Parma back in March. The Carabinieri officers discovered the artworks in an apartment in Parma, leading to the investigation of nine Moldovan individuals in connection with the theft.

The stolen paintings, including Cezanne’s “Tasse et Plat de Cerises,” Renoir’s “Les Poissons,” and Matisse’s “Odalisque sur la Terrasse,” were taken from the Fondazione Magnani Rocca museum in Mamiano di Traversetolo. Experts estimated the combined value of the recovered artworks to be over €9 million ($14.4 million).

In a swift operation captured on video, two masked burglars were seen entering through a window, seizing the paintings from the wall, and swiftly exiting the building in under three minutes. The Fondazione Magnani Rocca museum, known for its private collection curated by the late music critic Luigi Magnani, houses a range of esteemed artworks by artists such as Titian, Francisco Goya, and Claude Monet.

The successful recovery of the stolen masterpieces marks a significant victory in the ongoing efforts to combat art theft and preserve cultural heritage.