France’s cultural treasures are under assault. In July, two men disguised with wigs used a sledgehammer and a hammer to break a display case in an eastern‑France museum and walk away with a 2,500‑year‑old gold necklace. The entire heist lasted under four minutes.
Just days later, three masked robbers burst through two doors at another museum and stole 27 pieces of jewelry valued at more than 4.5 million euros. The thieves’ tactics are becoming increasingly violent, with Europol reporting a rise in the use of sledgehammers, axes, crowbars and even explosives to smash display cases.
Renoir paintings taken on the Riviera
On the French Riviera, thieves cut through a fence with an electric saw, entered the Renoir Museum in Cagnes‑sur‑Mer and fled with two paintings by Pierre‑Auguste Renoir – “Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano” and “Young Woman at the Well.” They left two other Renoir works behind as they escaped through the museum garden. The mayor of the town, Bryan Masson, estimated the stolen artworks’ value at roughly 9 million euros.
Because stolen art is difficult to sell on legitimate markets, the thieves may find little profit in the paintings, but the loss is a cultural blow to the community.
Security concerns and funding gaps
France’s museums, from the world‑renowned Louvre to small regional institutions, are a source of national pride and a major draw for tourists, contributing significantly to the economy. Yet protecting these collections is costly. The 88 million‑euro theft of crown jewels from the Louvre’s Apollo gallery earlier this year highlighted the vulnerability of even the most secure sites.
Guillaume Poitrinal, president of the Fondation du patrimoine – a foundation that funds the renovation and protection of French cultural sites – called the loss of the gold necklace “tragic” and urged greater investment in museum security. “We need to make it more difficult to steal works of art and objects that are part of France’s cultural heritage and belong to all French people,” he said.
At the Lalique Museum in Wingen‑sur‑Moder, the director Véronique Brumm Schaich is seeking 200,000 euros for security upgrades after a July 5 theft that shattered six display cases. She noted that government budget constraints make it unclear how much public funding will be available, prompting the museum to also solicit private donations.
Broader trend across Europe
Jean‑Christophe Castelain, director of the art‑world journal Le Journal des Arts, reported a record ten museum burglaries across France and other European countries this summer. Eight of those incidents involved jewelry, coins or antique objects that can be melted down for gold or sold as gemstones.
Europol’s August report warned that criminals increasingly target museum items with precious metals because they can be quickly melted and sold, and they perceive museum security as weaker than that of jewelry stores.
To help museums cope, the Fondation du patrimoine is launching a pass that will give subscribers access to 500 museums, monuments and châteaux, aiming to boost revenue and fund security improvements.
While the French government has not yet announced a comprehensive funding plan, museum leaders stress that protecting cultural heritage is a shared responsibility among the state, local authorities and private citizens.
Original reporting: Alexandria, VA News – WTOP News — read the source article.
