Thieves steal Renaissance artworks in museum heist during Italian holiday

Four Renaissance artworks by Antonello da Messina, valued at up to 80 million euros, were stolen from the MuMe Regional Interdisciplinary Museum in Messina, Italy. The theft occurred on Saturday evening during the Sicilian holiday of Ferragosto, a time when the city was distracted by a traditional procession. Thieves gained access by cutting through perimeter fencing and forcing open a side door, then breached an armored glass display case. They stole a small, double-sided devotional panel and three sections of the historic San Gregorio Polyptych, Antonello's only surviving masterpiece still in his hometown.

Four artworks by Renaissance painter Antonello da Messina were stolen from the MuMe regional museum in Messina, Sicily, on the Italian Ferragosto holiday. Thieves bypassed security systems on Saturday evening to steal three panels from the San Gregorio Polyptych and a double-sided panel depicting the Virgin Mary and Christ in Pietà. The museum director described the theft as a tremendous loss of important and well-known works. Art crime analysts suggest the famous artworks will be difficult to sell through legitimate channels. The theft occurred shortly before 10 p.m., and the museum was closed Sunday for investigation. This incident follows the recent recovery of stolen artworks by Renoir, Cézanne, and Matisse in Parma.

Four valuable Renaissance artworks attributed to Antonello da Messina were stolen from the MuMe museum in Messina, Sicily, on Saturday evening. The thieves bypassed the museum's alarm and security systems during the traditional Assumption holiday celebrations. The stolen items include three panels from the 1473 San Gregorio Polyptych and a double-sided panel depicting the Virgin Mary and the dead Christ. While the thieves removed all five panels of the polyptych, they abandoned two behind a wall as they fled. The artworks are reported to be worth millions of euros.

Four significant Renaissance paintings by Antonello da Messina were stolen from the Regional Museum of Messina (MuMe) in Sicily on Saturday evening. The thieves bypassed alarm systems and broke into a display case, taking three panels from the Polittico di San Gregorio altarpiece and a separate double-sided painting of the Virgin and Child. The theft occurred during Italy's Ferragosto national holiday, potentially coinciding with the city's La Vara religious festival. This incident follows closely after Italian police recovered paintings by Cézanne, Renoir, and Matisse stolen earlier this year.