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PARIS: Intruders, apparently drunk, broke into the Musée d'Orsay here early Sunday and punched a hole in a renowned work by the Impressionist master Claude Monet, "Le Pont d'Argenteuil."

A surveillance camera caught a group of four or five people entering the museum, on the Left Bank of the Seine River. An alarm sounded and the group fled, but not before damaging the invaluable painting, Culture Minister Christine Albanel said on the radio station France-Info. No arrests had been made Sunday night.

Albanel said the painting could be restored, but she deplored what she said was an attack on "our memory, our heritage." An aide to the minister said a punch had left a 10-centimeter, or 4-inch, tear in the painting.

Monet was part of the 19th-century Impressionist movement, experimenting notably with light and color. "Le Pont d'Argenteuil" shows a view of the Seine at a rural bend, featuring a bridge and boats.

Albanel said on France-Info that she would seek improved security for French museums and stronger sanctions against those who desecrate art. "This is not tolerable," she said.

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The break-in occurred as Paris held its annual all-night festival, which brings thousands of people into the streets for concerts and exhibits.