News from Italy
Three Paintings by Cézanne, Matisse and Renoir Stolen in Parma Recovered
Three paintings by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Paul Cézanne and Henri Matisse, stolen during the night of March 22–23, 2026, from the Magnani Rocca Foundation in Mamiano di Traversetolo, near Parma, have been recovered. Five people have been detained.
Almost five months after the high-profile theft at the “Villa dei Capolavori” in Mamiano, in the Parma area, the Carabinieri have recovered the three paintings stolen during the night of March 22–23. A video documenting the theft has also been released.
Following a complex investigation, Carabinieri officers from the Parma Provincial Command and the Carabinieri Cultural Heritage Protection Unit recovered the paintings during searches ordered by the Parma Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Five people have been detained. The suspects, all originally from Moldova, are accused of theft and conspiracy to commit theft. The paintings were stolen during the night of March 22–23.
The three recovered works are Les Poissons by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, an oil on canvas signed and dated in the lower right corner “Renoir 1917,” with an estimated value of approximately €3 million; Tasse et plat de cerises by Paul Cézanne, a pencil and watercolor work on white paper valued at around €6 million; and Odalisque sur la terrasse by Henri Matisse, a color aquatint on vélin d’Arches paper, with an estimated value of approximately €20,000. The combined estimated value of the three works exceeds €9 million.
Video Shows Theft at the Magnani Rocca Foundation in Parma
Following the recovery of the artworks, the Parma Provincial Carabinieri released a video documenting the theft at the Magnani Rocca Foundation.
The footage shows two masked individuals entering the Villa during the night of March 22–23 and moving rapidly through the exhibition spaces. Within moments, the thieves reach the paintings and remove them by simply detaching them from the walls where they were displayed, acting with remarkable ease and confidence.
Magnani Rocca Foundation: History and Collection
The Magnani Rocca Foundation was established in 1977 to promote cultural activities in art, music, and literature. The Villa was opened to the public in 1990 following restoration work and the creation of the museum exhibition.
The collection assembled by Luigi Magnani—a musicologist, art critic and intellectual—spans the history of art from the Renaissance to the contemporary era. It includes works by Gentile da Fabriano, Filippo Lippi, Titian, Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony van Dyck, Francisco Goya, Claude Monet, Paul Cézanne, Giorgio de Chirico, Giorgio Morandi and Alberto Burri, as well as sculptures by Antonio Canova and Lorenzo Bartolini.
The Villa also retains the character of Magnani’s private residence, with historic furnishings and works of art displayed throughout the house.