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Carabinieri Recover Three Stolen Masterpieces in Parma Raid

8/14/2026

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Summary

Carabinieri Recover Paintings

The Italian Carabinieri recovered three stolen paintings from the Magnani-Rocca Foundation near Parma.
The works are Renoir’s “Fish” (€3 million), Cézanne’s “Still Life with Cherries” (€6 million), and Matisse’s “Odalisque on the Terrace” (€20,000).
Thieves stole the paintings in a three-minute raid on March 22-23, forced the entrance door, and fled across the gardens.
The recovery followed searches ordered by the Parma public prosecutor’s office.

Summary

Toto Parente Conserves

Toto Parente announced the recovered Matisse prints will be conserved before returning to the Mario de Andrade Library.
São Paulo added 30 guards, expanded training and revised protocols after the December 2025 robbery.
Police identified 53-year-old Laéssio Rodrigues de Oliveira as the mastermind and have held him in custody since April.
Investigators said the gang assigned roles to members who stole the works and stored them for the organizer.

History

Historical Context

On March 18 1990, two men posing as police entered Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and stole 13 masterpieces, later valued at about $500 million. The FBI linked the heist to Boston-area gangsters, including suspected organizer Bobby Donati, whose 1991 murder ended the internal Patriarca family war. The unsolved case spurred museums worldwide to overhaul security.

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Carabinieri Recover Paintings

The Italian Carabinieri recovered three stolen paintings from the Magnani-Rocca Foundation near Parma.
The works are Renoir’s “Fish” (€3 million), Cézanne’s “Still Life with Cherries” (€6 million), and Matisse’s “Odalisque on the Terrace” (€20,000).
Thieves stole the paintings in a three-minute raid on March 22-23, forced the entrance door, and fled across the gardens.
The recovery followed searches ordered by the Parma public prosecutor’s office.

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