Four Renaissance Paintings Stolen from Sicilian Museum

Four valuable Renaissance paintings by Antonello da Messina have been stolen from a museum in his hometown of Messina, Sicily. The theft, which occurred late Saturday night, involved the precise removal of four out of five panels from the "San Gregorio Polyptych," a work described by the Italian Ministry of Culture as being of "extraordinary value."

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Paintings of extraordinary value.

The stolen panels include a double panel depicting the Madonna and Child. The main panel was taken from inside a secured glass display case. Local authorities reported that the thieves executed the heist with considerable precision, successfully bypassing the museum's alarm systems to access the exhibition rooms.

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Deeply reprehensible.

Federico Basile, the mayor of Messina, called the theft "deeply reprehensible." He noted that the crime was particularly painful as it occurred during a traditional city celebration honoring the Virgin Mary. Museum director Marisa Mercurio expressed deep shock, describing the incident as a "great loss for the museum, the city, and the art world."

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Even more painful because the robbery happened during a traditional city celebration.

This incident follows closely on the heels of other art thefts in Italy. Earlier this week, Italian police recovered three Impressionist artworks by Renoir, Cézanne, and Matisse, valued at 9 million euros, which had been stolen from a private museum near Parma in March. Four individuals have been charged in that case, with investigations focusing on a nine-person gang from Moldova.

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We are deeply shaken by what has happened.