Paul Signac's Le Port de la Rochelle stolen from Musée des beaux-arts de Nancy

On May 24, 2018, Paul Signac's painting Le Port de la Rochelle (1915) was stolen from the Musée des beaux-arts de Nancy in France. The thief entered during opening hours, used a box cutter to remove the canvas from its frame, hid until closing, and left undetected. The theft was discovered the next day. The museum's security system failed—possibly switched off or defective. The painting, valued at over €1.5 million, is owned by the city of Nancy and was donated by the widow of collector Henri Galilée in 1965 as part of a 117-work collection. This incident follows a similar theft at the Musée des Beaux-arts de Béziers, where Giorgio de Chirico's Composition with Self-Portrait was stolen in broad daylight using the same method. Both thefts have sparked criticism of security lapses in French local museums, contrasting with major state institutions that have robust security. The Signac painting, executed in Pointillist style, dates from the artist's period in Antibes. Police delayed announcing the theft, and the works are difficult to sell due to their fame and value.