Four works attributed to celebrated Sicilian Renaissance painter Antonello da Messina have been stolen from a regional museum in Messina, Italian media reported Sunday, in a heist carried out during the country’s Ferragosto holiday.
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The theft took place Saturday evening at the MuMe regional museum, where the thieves reportedly bypassed alarm and security systems and escaped with four artworks.
Among the stolen pieces were three of the five surviving panels of the “San Gregorio Polyptych,” dated to 1473, as well as a double-sided panel depicting the Virgin Mary and the dead Christ in “Pietà.” The latter was removed from an armoured display case, according to Italian news agency LaPresse.
Museum director Marisa Mercurio said the theft occurred shortly before 10 pm.
“We are devastated by what happened,” Mercurio told ANSA, describing the stolen works as two of Antonello da Messina's most important and best-known pieces.
“It is a tremendous loss for the museum, the city, the community and the art world,” she said.
The museum remained closed on Sunday as investigators collected evidence. Museum officials and the Carabinieri could not immediately be reached for comment by news agency AP.
The theft comes as interest in Antonello's work has grown. In March, the Italian government bought his devotional painting “Ecce Homo” for $14.9 million from Sotheby's in New York, bringing renewed attention to the early Renaissance painter.
Art-crime analyst Lynda Albertson said the stolen works would be difficult to sell through legitimate channels because they are instantly recognisable.
She told La Repubblica that while stealing such works may be relatively easy, selling them could prove far more difficult. She also said famous stolen artworks can sometimes circulate between criminals and be used as collateral in other illicit activities.
Art thefts in Italy
The Messina heist comes just days after Italian authorities announced the recovery of three artworks by Auguste Renoir, Paul Cézanne and Henri Matisse, worth a combined several million euros.
The works had been stolen in March from the Magnani Rocca Foundation, a private museum about 20 km from Parma.
Italy's Carabinieri art recovery squad said the three works were found during searches ordered by prosecutors. The investigation remains ongoing.
The recovered works were “Fish” by Renoir, “Still Life with Cherries” by Cézanne and “Odalisque on the Terrace” by Matisse.
