Stolen Renoir paintings found hidden, and damaged, behind cinder block wall:

Two paintings by impressionist master Pierre-Auguste Renoir, stolen from a museum in southern France and later discovered hidden behind a wall, have sustained slight damage, prosecutors said on Monday.

They were a portrait titled "Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano" and a depiction of a woman at a well called "Young Woman at the Well."

The discovery of the stolen works followed the arrest of six people, including a woman, last Wednesday, said Bessone.

"The paintings were hidden behind a solid cinder block wall. They were completely undetectable," Bessone said. "It was through interrogation work that investigators were able to get the receiver of the stolen goods to admit that he had indeed taken possession of the paintings."

A 29-year-old man seen as the main suspect was charged over the weekend after DNA evidence linked him to the theft.

The frame of "Young Woman at the Well" was slightly damaged, while "the canvas of 'Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano' had a tear," Bessone said.

The tear was located "on the dress" in the portrait, the prosecutor said, adding that both paintings "will require restoration work."

Culture Minister Catherine Pegard praised "the efficiency and determination of all those who made this outcome possible."

A spate of heists at French museums — including at the Louvre — has highlighted inadequate security in some cases and led to questions about whether criminal gangs see them as soft targets.

The suspected thieves have been arrested and charged, but none of the jewels have been recovered except for a crown that was dropped as the group escaped.

In October 2025, a woman was arrested and charged over the theft of gold from the Natural History Museum in Paris.

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