€80 Million Art Heist in Sicily: Four Antonello da Messina Works Stolen

Four works attributed to Renaissance master Antonello da Messina, collectively valued at up to €80 million ($92 million), have been stolen from a museum in Messina, Sicily, during the city’s Ferragosto celebrations, Italian authorities and media reported.

The theft occurred on Saturday evening at the MuMe museum, where thieves reportedly bypassed alarm and security systems despite guards being present. According to LaPresse, the stolen works include three of the five surviving panels of the San Gregorio Polyptych, dated 1473, and a double-sided panel depicting the Virgin Mary and the dead Christ in Pietà.

The thieves removed all five panels of the polyptych from their frame but abandoned two behind a wall while escaping. The Pietà panel was reportedly taken from an armored display case.

Art expert Alberto Fiz estimated the value of the stolen works at between €70 million and €80 million. MuMe director Marisa Mercurio described the incident as a devastating loss for the museum, Messina and the wider art world.

“These are not merely works by Antonello da Messina,” Mercurio said, highlighting their importance to the region’s cultural identity and heritage.

Messina’s culture official Enzo Caruso called the theft “a disaster” and urged authorities to recover the paintings quickly. He noted that international attention on Antonello has increased since Italy’s Culture Ministry acquired his Ecce Homo for $14.9 million through Sotheby’s in New York earlier this year.

Art-crime analyst Lynda Albertson said the stolen works would be difficult to sell through legitimate channels because they are instantly recognizable. She warned that such artworks can instead circulate among criminals as collateral for illicit activities.

The museum remained closed Sunday as investigators gathered evidence. The theft occurred as Ferragosto, Italy’s major summer holiday, was being celebrated in Messina, with a procession culminating in prayers and a blessing in Piazza Duomo.

The incident follows the recent recovery of three stolen works by Renoir, Cézanne and Matisse in Parma, valued at around €10 million.