ROME, March 29 (Xinhua) -- Three masterpieces by French artists Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Paul Cezanne and Henri Matisse were stolen in a burglary at a museum near Parma in northern Italy, Italy's Ansa news agency reported Sunday.
The theft took place overnight between March 22 and March 23 at the Magnani-Rocca Foundation in Mamiano di Traversetolo, which is an art museum that houses an extensive collection of works by major European artists.
According to Ansa, a group of professional thieves forced entry through a gate to the museum and stole the paintings quickly. Surveillance footage shows the suspects with their faces covered.
The stolen works include Renoir's "Les Poissons" (1917), Cezanne's "Tasse et plat de cerises" (1890), and Matisse's "Odalisque sur la terrasse" (1922). All three pieces, valued in the millions of euros, were part of the museum's permanent collection and displayed in a gallery dedicated to French art.
Italian authorities have launched an intensive investigation, and the case is considered one of the most significant art thefts in Italy in recent years.
