Renoir, Cézanne, Matisse Works Stolen from Italian Museum

Police said that the robbery took place on the night of March 22-23, when thieves forced open the entrance door.

The three stolen paintings include Auguste Renoir’s “Fish”, Paul Cézanne’s “Still Life with Cherries” and Henri Matisse’s “Oda on a Terrace”.

The Magnani Rocca Foundation, a private museum, is located in the countryside 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Parma.

Local media reported that the thieves took the paintings in less than three minutes and fled the museum gardens.

Founded in 1977, the foundation includes the collection of art historian Luigi Magnani, as well as works by Dürer, Rubens, Van Dyck, Goya and Monet.

According to local media reports, the museum believes a structured and organized gang was responsible for the theft, which was interrupted by the alarm.

The museum did not post a statement about the theft on its website and was unavailable for comment because it was closed on Monday.

The crime follows a series of high-profile robberies at major European museums, including the theft of the French crown jewels and other items worth 88 million euros ($101 million) from the Louvre in Paris in October.

Italian art expert Claudio Strinati said that the three stolen paintings were small works of three masters.

“Renoir’s painting, for example, is very beautiful, but it is not among the most important works in the context of the foundation as a whole,” he told the Associated Press.

Strinati also said that a ransom demand may follow the robbery.

“Art thefts can indeed be committed for the purpose of extortion,” he said.