Four 'extraordinary' Renaissance paintings stolen from Italian museum
The works were taken overnight without alarms being triggered, raising suspicion of a professional hit.
Four exceptional Renaissance paintings have been stolen from a Sicilian museum, according to Italy's culture minister Alessandro Giuli. The artworks, which include three panels from the Polyptych of San Gregorio and a double-sided panel of the Madonna with Child and Christ in Pietà, are attributed to Antonello da Messina. The theft occurred on Saturday night at the Regional Interdisciplinary Museum of Messina.
Police are investigating how the thieves bypassed the museum's security measures and who could be responsible. The incident is part of a series of art heists across Europe, raising concerns about the security of priceless cultural treasures. The museum's director, Marisa Mercurio, expressed shock at the loss, describing it as a significant blow to the city, the community, and the art world.
Antonello da Messina, a 15th-century Sicilian painter, is known for his masterful works, including the San Gregorio Polyptych, which portrays the Virgin Mary with Christ and various saints. The stolen Madonna with Child and Christ in Pietà was removed from a secure display case, while all the paintings involved were on wooden panels, making them difficult to relocate.
The mayor of Messina, Federico Basile, condemned the "heinous criminal act," emphasizing the violation of the city's shared heritage. The theft comes shortly after Italy's art crime unit recovered three Cézanne, Renoir, and Matisse paintings stolen from a museum near Parma, emphasizing the ongoing challenges in safeguarding valuable artworks in European institutions.
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