Officials detail what they saw on surveillance footage as paintings worth $8,000,000 stolen from Renoir museum in France

Two thieves broke into the Renoir Museum on the French Riviera early Tuesday morning, making off with four of his paintings.

According to the BBC, the alarm at the Musée Renoir in Cagnes-sur-Mer sounded at 5:48am local time, with police arriving on the scene just five minutes later.

By then, the pair were already gone, caught on CCTV footage as they ended up discarding two of the paintings as they fled.

Local Mayor Bryan Masson confirmed the theft but stopped short of naming the paintings taken.

He said: "This morning, two individuals broke into the Renoir Museum and stole four works of art.

"The museum's alarm was triggered at 5:48 a.m. At 5:53 a.m, just five minutes later, our municipal police were on the scene.

"Identified by the city's CCTV cameras, the two individuals fled, abandoning two of the stolen paintings.

"Since this morning, both the municipal and national police have been deployed to the site."

It's not been confirmed whether the discarded paintings were damaged.

The Musée Renoir sits on the estate in Cagnes-sur-Mer where Pierre-Auguste Renoir spent the final years of his life. (Bettman/Getty Images)

He added that the hunt was underway for the criminals as the investigation continues.

Masson continued: "Attacking the Renoir Museum is attacking a part of the history and heritage of #CagnesSurMer. These events are particularly serious.

"They also confirm the urgent need to implement the comprehensive plan to secure our museums and protect our works of art, a plan to which I have committed.

"We will dedicate all necessary resources to better protect this heritage, which belongs to all the residents of Cagnes."

Which paintings were stolen from the Renoir Museum?

The local news outlet Nice-Martin reported that the four paintings stolen were 'Portrait of Madame Pichon' (1895), 'Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano' (1910), 'Coco Lisant' (1905), and 'Jeune fille au puits' (1886), all painted by Renoir.

The outlet added that thieves gained entry by cutting through wire fencing to get into the grounds of the museum, also reporting that the criminals timed the theft to coincide with a changing of the guard at the museum.

The Musée Renoir sits on the estate in Cagnes-sur-Mer where Pierre-Auguste Renoir spent the final years of his life. (Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

The mayors office has estimated the haul at roughly 9 million euros, or $10.5 million dollars.

The Musée Renoir sits on an estate in Cagnes-sur-Mer, a town on the French Riviera where Pierre-Auguste Renoir spent the final years of his life. Perched on a hill overlooking the Mediterranean and ringed by centuries-old olive and citrus trees, the property is a short drive from Nice.

The theft comes less than a year after a huge heist at the Louvre, that completely rattled the art world.

The theft follows a heist at the Louvre in which thieves used a stolen mechanical lift to steal an estimated €88 million in jewelry. (Photo by Kiran Ridley/Getty Images)

Last year, theives stole an estimated $104 million worth of jewelry using a stolen vehicle-mounted mechanical lift to reach a balcony overlooking the Seine.

Among the stolen artefacts were a diamond and emerald necklace Napoleon once gave his wife.