Rome, Italy – The Fondazione Magnani Rocca museum near Parma in northern Italy was the target of a brazen robbery. A gang of thieves made off with three rare paintings with an estimated combined value of around €9 million.
Italian police reported that the masked robbers broke into the museum on the night of March 22-23, 2026. They entered through the main door and targeted the French paintings gallery on the first floor. They then escaped through the museum gardens within minutes.
Among the stolen works were Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s “Les Poissons,” Paul Cézanne’s “Still Life with Cherries,” and Henri Matisse’s “Odalisque on the Terrace.” These are prominent works by leading French masters.
Sources said the museum’s alarm system was triggered during the theft, forcing the perpetrators to retreat and abandon a fourth painting they had intended to steal. The Carabinieri and the art police have launched an investigation. They are also reviewing CCTV footage to try to identify the gang and recover the stolen works.
This incident is the latest in a series of high-profile thefts targeting museums across Europe in recent months. Experts are concerned about the security of art collections and the difficulty of selling such renowned works on the black market.
