Art thieves have struck again in France by stealing five pictures, including a Picasso lithograph, from the home of an art collector in Marseille only a day after a major heist in Paris.

French police said Saturday the owner was beaten up at his home in southern France on Friday.

The theft comes just after an audacious art heist in Paris in which five major works of art, worth up to $124 million in total, were taken from a city museum.

In the Marseille robbery, the most important work was the lithograph of a woman's face, by Picasso. The other pieces are reportedly by less renowned artists and no dollar value has been put on the stolen works.

Friday's robbery was just the latest in a series in Marseille since December. Thieves made off with about 30 paintings, including a work by Picasso, from a private villa in January.

Picasso most popular among thieves

It's no coincidence the latest theft involves a Picasso. According to the Art Loss Register, which tracks missing art pieces around the world, Picassos are the most stolen of all artworks.

Thursday's robbery included Le pigeon aux petits-pois (The Pigeon with the Peas ) by Pablo Picasso.

The other four masterpieces include:

• La pastorale (Pastoral) by Henri Matisse.
• L'olivier près de l'Estaque (Olive Tree near Estaque) by Georges Braque.
• La femme à l'éventail (Woman with a Fan) by Amedeo Modigliani.
• Nature-mort aux chandeliers (Still Life with Chandeliers) by Fernand Léger.

Authorities with the Musée d'Art Moderne in Paris said Saturday they had contacted Interpol about the five stolen pieces out of fear that the paintings may already have been taken out of France.

The paintings are too well known to be sold in the open art market.

Officials say the robbery is likely the work of criminal gangs, who will either try to extort money from France for their return or use the paintings as pawns for trade in drugs or weapons.