Robbers attacked a pensioner in his home and stole five art works, including a Picasso lithograph, only hours after a major theft of paintings in a Paris museum, police said today.

The assault occurred early yesterday, after two unidentified men rang the doorbell at the victim's home in Marseille, southern France.

On opening the door he was violently punched as the men rushed into the living room and seized the pictures before making their escape.

The victim, who was not named, was taken to hospital for treatment. Police said Saturday they were hunting for the robbers and the value of the haul had not yet been determined.

On Wednesday night a thief broke into the Modern Art Museum in Paris in a swift and simple raid, seizing five paintings valued at between 90 and 100 million euros (112 and 125 million dollars).

Three guards were on duty but one of the alarms was defective and other security systems were apparently overcome.

The paintings cut from their frames were by Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Georges Braque, Fernand Leger and Amedeo Modigliani. Experts said they would be impossible to sell openly.