Four Antonello Paintings Stolen in Messina

Four Renaissance works by Antonello da Messina were stolen from the MuMe regional museum in Messina during Ferragosto, with three panels taken from the San Gregorio Polyptych (1473) and a double-sided Madonna with Christ in Pietà panel. Security accounts vary: MuMe officials say alarms were active and guards were on site, while some sources describe a breach that bypassed alarms and an armored display case, with two panels later found abandoned outside the museum. The pieces are among Antonello’s most significant works and the only surviving panels in Messina, with art experts valuing the loss in the tens of millions to about 80 million euros. Local and national officials—the MuMe director Marisa Mercurio, Messina’s mayor, and culture minister Alessandro Giuli—have condemned the theft and pledged full cooperation with investigators. Investigators have opened a case into aggravated theft and are examining whether the works were stolen to order for the black market, as authorities scramble to determine how the raid unfolded during a busy holiday period with large crowds. The case has drawn international attention to Antonello da Messina’s hometown, with authorities establishing checkpoints and launching a broad probe into the incident.