Four prized Renaissance works stolen from museum in Sicily

Rome, Italy - Four exceptional Renaissance pieces by artist Antonello da Messina were stolen from a museum in Messina, Sicily, on Saturday evening, according to Italy's culture ministry. The museum, located in Messina, the hometown of the religious painter, was targeted at a time when the city was hosting festivities in honor of the Virgin Mary.

The art heist included three panels from the 15th century San Gregorio Polyptych. This recent theft follows the acquisition of Messina's work "Ecce Homo" by the Italian state, which was sold at a New York auction for almost US$15 million earlier this year. Messina's mayor, Federico Basile, denounced the crime as "deeply reprehensible" and emphasized the added pain of the theft occurring during a time of city celebration.

Art theft remains a persistent issue in Italy, as recently exemplified by the recovery of three Renoir, Cezanne, and Matisse paintings, valued at over nine million euros, that were stolen from a museum near Parma earlier this month. The alleged perpetrators, believed to be a Moldovan gang, were arrested two days ago.