Four Antonello da Messina masterpieces stolen from Sicily museum

Four artworks by 15th-century Renaissance painter Antonello da Messina were stolen overnight from the Museo Regionale di Messina (MuMe) in Sicily, Italy's culture minister said on Sunday. The thieves entered the museum on the night of August 15, a national holiday, bypassing alarm and security systems, Italian media reported. The stolen pieces include three of the five surviving panels of the San Gregorio Polyptych, dated to 1473, and a small double-sided painting of the Virgin with Child and Christ. The latter was removed from an armoured display case, according to LaPresse.

Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli said he learned of the theft "with shock and sadness." Museum director Marisa Mercurio called it "a tremendous loss for the museum, the city, the community and the art world." Enzo Caruso, a local councillor in charge of culture, said the Italian state's purchase of another Antonello da Messina work, Ecce Homo, for $15 million in February may have put the museum on criminals' radar. The theft comes days after Italian police recovered three paintings by Cezanne, Renoir and Matisse stolen in March from a museum near Parma.

Art-crime analyst Lynda Albertson told La Repubblica that the stolen works would be difficult to sell through legitimate channels as they are instantly recognisable, but they could be used as collateral in other illicit activities. The museum remained closed on Sunday as investigators collected evidence.