Four pieces of art by Antonello da Messina, a painter from the 15th century, were stolen from the Museo Regionale di Messina, as confirmed by Italy’s culture minister. Alessandro Giuli expressed shock and sadness upon hearing the news. The stolen artworks include parts of the only existing collection by the Renaissance artist in his hometown and a small painting obtained by the Sicilian Region twenty years ago. The theft occurred on a national holiday in Italy, with museum director Marisa Mercurio describing the incident as devastating. She emphasized the significance of the stolen works by Antonello da Messina and lamented the loss to the museum, city, community, and art world.
The stolen items consisted of three panels from an altarpiece called “Polittico di San Gregorio,” originally with six panels meant for a local monastery destroyed in the 1908 earthquake. The fourth stolen artwork was a small double-sided painting featuring the Virgin with Child and a Franciscan monk on one side and Christ on the other. Enzo Caruso, a local councilor overseeing culture, remarked that the recent acquisition of a Messina artwork by the Italian state for $15 million may have drawn the attention of the thief or thieves to the museum.
The stolen two-sided painting, part of the Wilhelm Soldan collection and attributed to Antonello da Messina in 2003, was purchased by the Sicilian Region. In February, Italy’s Culture Ministry acquired another two-sided painting, known as “Ecce Homo,” from Sotheby’s to prevent it from being auctioned. Art-crime analyst Lynda Albertson noted the distinctiveness of these works, making them difficult to sell through legitimate channels. She warned that stealing such renowned artworks is easier than selling them, as they are often used as collateral for illicit activities by criminals. Antonello da Messina, born around 1430, trained in Naples and returned to Messina in 1457, where he worked until 1474.
The theft occurred shortly after Italian police recovered three paintings by French masters Cézanne, Renoir, and Matisse that were stolen from a museum near Parma in March.