Thieves have stolen four artworks by Renaissance painter Antonello da Messina, worth millions of euros, from the regional museum in the city of Messina, Sicily, Italian cultural officials have said.
The thieves made off with three of the five surviving panels of the San Gregorio Polyptych, dated to 1473, as well as the double-sided panel depicting the Virgin Mary and the dead Christ in Pietà, which was removed from an armoured display case, according to local media. They took all five panels of the polyptych off their frame but left two behind a wall as they fled.
The heist occurred just before 10pm, at a time when crowds had gathered across the city for the traditional Assumption holiday celebrations. MuMe museum director Marisa Mercurio told ANSA news that the theft took place while guards were on site and the alarm and security systems were functioning normally.
Art expert Alberto Fiz estimates the value of the stolen works at between €70 million and €80 million. “We are devastated by what happened. They were two of Antonello da Messina’s most important and best-known works. It is a tremendous loss for the museum, the city, the community, and the art world,” Mercurio said, describing the pieces as central to the region’s cultural heritage. “These are not merely works by Antonello da Messina,” she told Sky TG24. “They are works that hold considerable significance in terms of our identity, as well as, of course, their artistic and cultural value, because they are works by our very own Antonello da Messina.”
Messina’s top culture official, Enzo Caruso, called the theft “more than a loss” and “a disaster.” “Messina without Antonello is deprived of the very essence of the greatest artist of the European Renaissance,” he told Sky, urging the swift recovery of the stolen works. Caruso added that international interest in Antonello da Messina has grown significantly since Italy’s Culture Ministry acquired his devotional painting “Ecce Homo” for $14.9 million through negotiations with Sotheby’s in New York earlier this year.
Art-crime analyst Lynda Albertson said the stolen works are too instantly recognizable to be sold through any reputable channel, complicating any attempt to profit from the theft.
