Four Renaissance Artworks Stolen From Sicilian Museum
Four works attributed to renowned Renaissance painter Antonello da Messina have been stolen from a museum in Messina, Sicily, during Italy’s Ferragosto holiday, cultural officials and Italian media reported on Sunday.
The theft occurred on Saturday evening at the Museo Regionale Accascina, also known as MuMe, where the suspects reportedly bypassed the museum’s alarm and security systems.
Among the stolen works are three of the five surviving panels of the San Gregorio Polyptych, painted by Antonello in 1473.
The thieves also took a double-sided panel depicting the Virgin Mary and the dead Christ in Pietà, which was removed from an armoured display case, according to Italian news agency LaPresse.
MuMe director Marisa Mercurio expressed shock over the incident, describing the stolen pieces as among Antonello’s most significant works.
“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 told ANSA.
She said the theft took place shortly before 10 p.m., stressing that the artworks represented an important part of 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, described the incident as a major blow to the city and called for the artworks to be recovered quickly.
“Messina without Antonello is deprived of the very essence of the greatest artist of the European Renaissance,” Caruso told Sky.
Caruso also linked the renewed international attention on Antonello to Italy’s recent acquisition of his devotional painting Ecce Homo, which the Culture Ministry purchased through negotiations with Sotheby’s in New York for $14.9 million.
Art-crime analyst Lynda Albertson said the stolen works would be difficult to sell openly because of their recognisable status.
“Stealing an Antonello may be far easier than selling one. If these are ordinary thieves, they will soon discover that — to their cost,” Albertson, chief executive of the ARCA art crimes research association, told La Repubblica.
She added that famous artworks are sometimes passed between criminals and used as collateral in other illicit activities.
The museum remained closed on Sunday as investigators examined the scene and collected evidence.
Museum officials and the Carabinieri were not immediately available for comment.
The theft occurred during Ferragosto, the Italian holiday marking the Feast of the Assumption of Mary and traditionally one of the busiest periods of the country’s summer holiday season.
The incident came only days after police in Parma announced the recovery of three stolen works by Renoir, Cézanne and Matisse, collectively valued at about €10 million ($11.5 million).
Five people have been detained in connection with the March 22-23 theft from the Magnani Rocca Foundation in Parma province.
