Thieves steal Renaissance artworks in museum heist during Italian holiday

What the report says

Thieves stole four Renaissance-era works by Antonello da Messina from the MuMe Regional Interdisciplinary Museum in Messina, Sicily, in a break-in that Italian cultural officials and media said took place late on the evening of August 16 during the Ferragosto holiday period. Al Jazeera reported that the losses are valued at as much as 80 million euros, and that the incident happened while the city was busy with holiday crowds and the traditional Vara procession.

According to the report, the intruders cut through exterior fencing, forced a side entrance and then broke into a protected display case and storage areas inside the museum. Among the items taken was a small double-sided devotional panel dating to the mid-15th century, along with three main sections of the San Gregorio Polyptych, a surviving Antonello altarpiece originally commissioned in 1473. Two other panels were left behind near the museum grounds.

Museum director Marisa Mercurio told ANSA the institution was devastated by the loss, while local officials described the theft as unusually bold. The report also noted that interest in Antonello’s work has recently grown after Italy’s culture ministry bought another of his paintings earlier in the year. In general, art thefts involving famous and highly identifiable works can be difficult to resell, which may complicate recovery efforts, although Al Jazeera did not report any arrests or recoveries in this case.