DNA and vehicle-tracking help French investigators recover stolen Renoirs

DNA left on a protective painting cover helped investigators recover two stolen Renoirs and uncover what they suspected were preparations for another art heist, a French prosecutor said Monday.

<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/6192x4128+0+0/resize/6192x4128!/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fe7%2Fa7%2F333b7fed483fb4ac1acb61c1ea6a%2Fap26285467970644.jpg' alt='Recovered paintings "Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano", right, and "Young Woman at the Well," stolen from the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer are on display at the Interdisciplinary Centre for the Conservation and Restoration of Heritage in Marseille, France, Monday Oct. 12, 2026.'/><p>DNA left on a protective painting cover helped investigators recover two stolen Renoirs and uncover what they suspected were preparations for another art heist, a French prosecutor said Monday.</p><p>(Image credit: Philippe Magoni)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=g-s1-147818' />