Sicilian museum robbed of four Renaissance masterpieces

Sun Sep 06 2026 06:28:41 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Four priceless paintings by Antonello da Messina were stolen from the Regional Interdisciplinary Museum of Messina in a daring midnight break‑in.

In a quiet Tuesday evening, thieves slipped into Messina’s Regional Interdisciplinary Museum and absconded with three panels of the San Gregorio Polyptych and a double‑sided panel portraying the Madonna with Child and Christ in Pietà, all created by 15th‑century master Antonello da Messina. Authorities are investigating how alarms were bypassed and whether the theft was pre‑ordered by a market‑go‑to art gang. The incident adds to a string of high‑profile museum heists across Europe that threaten cultural heritage. Local officials describe the loss as a blow to Messina’s identity and the art world at large.

Four Renaissance paintings of "extraordinary value" have been stolen from a museum in Sicily, Italy’s culture minister has said.

Alessandro Giuli confirmed that three panels of the Polyptych of San Gregorio and a double‑sided panel of the Madonna with Child and Christ in Pietà, all attributed to Antonello da Messina, were taken Saturday night from the Regional Interdisciplinary Museum of Messina.

Police are probing how the thieves entered without triggering alarms and who may have ordered the theft. Investigators suspect a black‑market art gang behind the operation, according to Italian news agency Ansa.

The Madonna and Christ in Pietà—once displayed at the British Museum in 2016—was removed straight from a secure display case. As all paintings were on wooden panels, thieves could not easily roll them away.

The museum’s director Marisa Mercurio said the theft happened at about 21:50 local time (19:50 GMT) on Saturday and described it as a "great loss for the museum, for the city, the community and the art world".

Antonello da Messina was a 15th‑century painter born on Sicily who rose to become an early master of the Renaissance. His 1473 San Gregorio Polyptych, with five surviving panels, depicts the Virgin Mary holding infant Jesus, flanked by St Gregory and St Benedict along with angels.

Local mayor Federico Basile called the act "deeply outraged" and warned that Messina would not let its history be stolen.

This theft comes days after Italy’s art‑crime unit recovered three works from a museum near Parma, which had been plundered earlier this year. The recovered works—by Cézanne, Renoir and Matisse—were worth €9 million. The continued fragility of European museum security was highlighted last year when a gang robbed the Louvre of €88 million in historic jewellery.