Two thieves broke into the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer, France, on Tuesday.

They stole four paintings by Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

The thieves cut through a fence and entered through a window.

They completed the theft in under three minutes.

As they fled, they abandoned two of the paintings in the museum garden.

The two missing works are "Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano" and "Young Woman at the Well."

The recovered paintings are "Portrait of Madame Pichon" and "Coco Reading."

Mayor Bryan Masson estimated the value of the four works at 9 million euros, or about $10.5 million.

The museum is located in Renoir's former home, where he lived until his death in 1919.

The alarm went off at 5:48 a.m., and police arrived five minutes later.

Their quick response forced the thieves to flee, the mayor said.

The Marseille prosecutor has opened an investigation into theft by an organized gang.

At least two of the stolen works have a troubled history.

Authorities believe Nazis looted "Young Woman at the Well" during World War II.

It was recovered in 1949.

A German officer gave "Coco Reading" to a soldier at the end of the war.

Germany returned it to France in 1994.

Art theft expert James Ratcliffe said underfunding is the main problem for museums, especially smaller ones.

He noted that the recent Louvre heist showed criminals that museums are soft targets.

Ratcliffe added that the thieves will find it almost impossible to sell the Renoirs.

They cannot easily approach art dealers with stolen works.