Sicilian museum heist: Thieves steal Antonello da Messina's four Renaissance artworks on Italian holiday

On the Italian Ferragosto holiday, thieves broke into the MuMe regional museum in Messina, Sicily and stole four works attributed to the Renaissance painter Antonello da Messina. The paintings include three out of the five surviving panels of the San Gregorio Polyptych, dating from 1473, as well as a double-sided panel depicting the Virgin Mary and dead Christ in Pietà.

Security systems had been bypassed by the thieves, who made off with the valuable artworks around 10 p.m. The museum's director, Marisa Mercurio, expressed devastation over the loss, calling the stolen works two of Antonello da Messina's most important and best-known pieces. The incident highlights the challenges of selling famous artworks, with art-crime analyst Lynda Albertson stating that the stolen pieces are instantly recognizable and may pose difficulties for criminals attempting to sell them through legitimate channels. The theft occurred just before the museum closed for the day, as investigators collected evidence.