Priceless art by Renoir, Matisse gone in 3 min after gang chisels into museum

A gang of thieves pulled off a lightning-fast art heist, stealing four masterpieces in just three minutes after chiselling through a museum door and escaping over a back wall.

The robbery has been described as ‘audacious and shockingly swift’, with the suspects targeting high-value works by renowned artists.

Renoir masterpiece among stolen works

One of the stolen paintings is Lipoisson by French Impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

The artwork, depicting three fish on a plate, is valued at around €6 million, roughly R120 million.

Three other paintings were also taken, including works by Paul Cézanne and Henri Matisse.

Chiselled entry, rapid escape

The gang reportedly chiselled their way through the front door before moving quickly inside.

Despite the alarm eventually sounding, the thieves escaped within minutes, scaling a back wall and disappearing.

“Three minutes to take four lovely paintings,” commented 702/CapeTalk world news correspondent Adam Gilchrist.

‘Stolen to order’ suspicion

The precision of the theft has raised suspicions that the paintings were specifically targeted.

“It does feel like these paintings were stolen to order… they knew exactly what they were after,” Gilchrist added.

Security concerns at historic museums

The heist has also highlighted concerns around security at older museum buildings.

Many institutions, often housed in historic villas or heritage sites, may not have the most advanced alarm systems.

This can make them vulnerable to fast, highly coordinated thefts.

For more information, listen to Gilchrist on 702’s Breakfast with Bongani Bingwa using the audio player below: