Maxi art theft in Parma: works by Renoir, Cezanne and Matisse stolen
Les Poissons, oil on canvas worth several million, is one of the rare works by Renoir in a permanent collection in Italia
A painting by impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Les Poissons, was stolen in recent days from the Magnani Rocca Foundation in Mamiano di Traversetolo (Parma). The news, confirmed by Ansa, is TgR Rai Emilia-Romagna. Oil on canvas, worth several million, is one of the rare works by the author in a permanent collection in Italia. Not only that. The theft also concerns two other works, one by Matisse and the other by Cezanne. In particular, these would be the Odalisque on the Terrace and Still Life with Cherries.
According to reports, hooded criminals broke into Villa Magnani, home of the art collection, a few days ago and managed to steal the artwork.
Carabinieri investigate
The thieves who stole three very valuable paintings, by Renoir, Cezanne and Matisse, from the Magnani Rocca Foundation in Mamiano di Traversetolo acted during the night between 22 and 23 March. They entered by forcing a door of the building. Investigations are underway by the Parma Carabinieri together with the Carabinieri of the Cultural Heritage Protection Unit. Video footage from the video surveillance system has been acquired.
The rich collection of Luigi Magnani
The Magnani-Rocca Foundation, where three paintings by Renoir, Cezanne and Matisse were stolen, is one of the most important art institutions in Italia. The Villa dei Capolavori, headquarters of the Foundation in Mamiano di Traversetolo, near Parma, houses the art collection of the critic, musicologist and writer Luigi Magnani (1906-1984): works by Titian, Dürer, Rubens, Goya, Canova, Monet, Renoir, Cézanne, Burri and the most significant collection of works by Giorgio Morandi. Immersed in the Parma countryside, the Villa retains the charm of a great collector's residence, with neoclassical and Empire furnishings, surrounded by the Romantic Park with exotic plants, monumental trees and the famous white and coloured peacocks, emblems of the Symbolist movement. Precisely at 'Symbolism in Italia. Origins and Developments of a New Aesthetic 1883-1915' is dedicated to the exhibition, with more than 140 works, running at the Fondazione Magnani-Rocca until 28 June.
