Thieves steal paintings by Renoir, Matisse from Italian museum

PARMA, Italy - Thieves got away with paintings by prominent artists, worth millions of euros from a museum in northern Italy, police said Monday. 

According to officials, the thieves made off with three paintings by Renoir, Cézanne and Matisse from a private museum near Parma. 

Thieves steal paintings from Italian museum 

Big picture view:

Police said the heist took place on the night of March 22-23, with thieves forcing open the entrance door. 

According to local media, the thieves were able to steal the paintings in less than three minutes and escape across the museum gardens.

The museum believes a structured and organized gang was responsible for the theft, which was interrupted by the alarm, local media reported.

Stolen paintings by Renoir, Cezanne, Matisse

Dig deeper:

The three stolen paintings were "Fish" by Auguste Renoir, "Still Life with Cherries" by Paul Cézanne, and "Odalisque on the Terrace" by Henri Matisse.

Italian art expert Claudio Strinati said that the three stolen paintings are minor works from the three masters.

What they're saying:

"Renoir’s painting, for example, is very beautiful, but, within the context of the foundation as a whole, it isn’t among the most important works," he told The Associated Press.

Paintings stolen from the Magnani Rocca Foundation

Local perspective:

The Magnani Rocca Foundation, a private museum, lies in the heart of the countryside – 12 miles from Parma.

Established in 1977, the foundation hosts the collection of the art historian Luigi Magnani and also includes works by Dürer, Rubens, Van Dyck, Goya and Monet.

Crime follows other heists at major museums

The backstory:

The crime comes after a series of high-profile heists at major European museums, including a major incident in October where thieves stole jewels and other items worth 88 million euros ($101 million) from the Louvre in Paris.

The Louvre was burglarized less than a half hour after doors opened, French officials said. 

RELATED: Louvre museum robbery: Jewels gone in daring heist

Thieves used a basket lift to reach a window near some construction, then sliced through its panes using a disc cutter, they said. Once inside — where tourists were already visiting for the day — the thieves were said to have used a freight elevator to reach the Galerie d’Apollon in the Denon wing, where they smashed display cases and grabbed nine pieces from the jewelry collection of Napoleon and the Empress. They then drove off on two-wheelers.