Four Renaissance masterpieces stolen from Sicily museum in art heist

A group of four Renaissance masterpieces attributed to Antonello da Messina have been stolen from the MuMe regional museum in Messina, Italy, during the country's Ferragosto holiday. The art heist occurred Saturday evening and was executed while the museum's alarm systems remained inactive, allowing thieves to escape with the artworks.

Among the stolen pieces were three panels of the "San Gregorio Polyptych," created in 1473, and a double-sided panel depicting the Virgin Mary and the dead Christ in "Pietà." The latter panel was removed from an armored display case, as reported by Italian news agency LaPresse. Museum director Marisa Mercurio expressed her devastation over the loss, describing the stolen works as two of Antonello da Messina's most important and best-known pieces.

She emphasized the immense loss suffered by the museum, the city, the community, and the art world at large.

The museum remained closed on Sunday as investigators gathered evidence, and museum officials and the Carabinieri were unable to provide immediate comment. Art-crime analyst Lynda Albertson suggested that the stolen works would be challenging to sell through legitimate channels due to their well-known nature. She also noted that even though stealing such artworks may be relatively simple, selling them could prove far more difficult, as they could potentially be used for other illicit activities.

Just days prior, Italian authorities recovered three art pieces by Auguste Renoir, Paul Cézanne, and Henri Matisse from the Magnani Rocca Foundation, a private museum located about 20 km from Parma. The recovered works included "Fish" by Renoir, "Still Life with Cherries" by Cézanne, and "Odalisque on the Terrace" by Matisse. The investigation into the Messina heist continues.