Sicily Museum Loses Four Priceless Renaissance Paintings in Nighttime Heist



Surviving panels of the San Gregorio Polyptych
Panels from the San Gregorio Polyptych were taken during the theft.


Four paintings “of extraordinary value” belonging to Renaissance master Antonello da Messina were stolen from Messina’s Regional Interdisciplinary Museum on Saturday night, the culture ministry confirmed.


Police say the robbery began at about 21:50 local time (19:50 GMT) when thieves slipped past the alarm system and lifted three panels of the Polyptych of San Gregorio and a double‑sided panel depicting the Madonna with Child on one side and Christ in Pietà on the other directly from a secure display case.


The artist, born in Sicily, created the 1473 polyptych for Santa Maria monastery; the surviving five panels portray the Virgin Mary beside infant Jesus with St. Gregory, St. Benedict and angels.


The double‑panel, painted around the same time, was small and likely used for private worship, featuring both a cherishing infant Christ and an adult Christ in death.


Director Marisa Mercurio called the theft “a great loss for the museum, the city, the community and the art world” and expressed shock over the breach of security.


Mayor Federico Basile condemned the act as “heinous” and warned that Messina would not let its heritage be stolen.


Italy’s specialist art‑crime unit already recovered three artworks stolen from a Parma museum earlier this year, while a gang seized €88 million worth of jewellery from the Louvre in last year’s daylight break‑in.


Investigators suspect the painting theft was ordered by black‑market thieves seeking expensive pieces that cannot be easily hidden due to their wooden panels.


The Italian authorities are combing all security footage and contacting art‑crime networks worldwide in hopes of retrieving the missing works before they reach international markets.