A gang of masked thieves carried out a rapid smash-and-grab robbery at a French museum dedicated to the works of luxury glassmaker Rene Lalique and his family, museum staff confirmed — the latest in a string of bold art heists to strike France in recent months.
The burglars forced their way through the front entrance of Musee Lalique, located in the town of Wingen-sur-Moder in the Alsace region of eastern France, roughly 60 kilometers — or about 40 miles — northwest of Strasbourg. Once inside, they made off with around 20 pieces of jewelry collectively worth several million euros, according to France Info and other media outlets reporting on the Sunday morning incident.
The theft happened with remarkable speed. In a statement posted to Instagram, the museum noted that the jewelry was taken “in a very short space of time.” Officials confirmed that the break-in triggered security alarms, staff had already identified which pieces were missing, and law enforcement was actively reviewing closed-circuit television footage as part of an ongoing investigation.
The museum declined to provide further specifics about which items were stolen.
According to the museum’s website, the facility is home to more than 650 works, spanning Art Nouveau jewelry, Art Deco glass, and crystal pieces. Rene Lalique, who passed away at age 85 in 1945, launched his career as a jeweler and became celebrated for incorporating “glass, enamel, horn, ivory and semi-precious stones in his creations.”
In the wake of the robbery, the museum announced it would be shutting its doors temporarily. “The museum will be closed for the forthcoming days in order to make sure it can then be re-opened with full security,” officials stated.
The incident follows a similarly alarming break-in at Paris’s world-renowned Louvre museum last October. While several suspects in that case have since been arrested, the stolen items — described as priceless — have yet to be recovered.
