Recovered Magnani Rocca masters shine light on Italy's private collections

Italian police have recovered three paintings by the French masters Paul Cézanne, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Henri Matisse that were stolen from the Fondazione Magnani Rocca museum in Mamiano di Traversetolo, near Parma, in March, according to the Guardian. The artworks are collectively valued at more than $10 million, with Le Monde reporting a combined worth of more than €10 million. Police released new CCTV footage of the theft on Friday, showing two masked burglars entering through a window.

The New York Times reported that five people have been arrested in connection with the stolen works, while Al Jazeera noted that nine Moldovans are being investigated in connection with the theft. The recovery comes five months after the nighttime heist, which had prompted an international search and renewed attention on the security of art collections housed outside major metropolitan museums.