Archive · 17 Aug 2026
Four Antonello da Messina Paintings Stolen From Italian Museum
Some bad people stole four very old and famous paintings from a museum in Italy.
The paintings were made by a famous artist named Antonello da Messina, who lived a long time ago.
The museum is called MuMe and it is in a city called Messina on the island of Sicily.
The thieves got in on a Saturday evening during a big Italian holiday called Ferragosto.
They turned off the alarms and took the paintings from their cases.
The people who run the museum are very sad and say it is a big loss for everyone.
The paintings are so famous that it will be very hard for the thieves to sell them.
Experts say famous stolen paintings are often traded between criminals instead of being sold.
The museum was closed on Sunday so police could look for clues.
Everyone hopes the paintings will be found and brought back soon.
Four paintings attributed to Renaissance master Antonello da Messina were stolen from the MuMe museum in Messina, Sicily.
The theft occurred Saturday evening during Italy's Ferragosto holiday, just before 10 pm, after alarms and security were bypassed.
Stolen works include three panels of the 1473 San Gregorio Polyptych and a double-sided panel of the Virgin Mary and dead Christ in Pieta.
Officials called the theft "a disaster" and "a tremendous loss" for the museum, the city, and the art world.
Art-crime experts say the instantly recognizable works will be nearly impossible to sell through legitimate channels.
- Who
- Thieves; MuMe director Marisa Mercurio; Messina culture official Enzo Caruso; art-crime analyst Lynda Albertson
- What
- Four Renaissance paintings attributed to Antonello da Messina were stolen from the MuMe museum
- When
- Saturday evening during the Ferragosto holiday, just before 10 pm
- Where
- MuMe museum in Messina, Sicily, Italy
- Why
- The motive is not stated; experts note the famous works are hard to sell and may be used as collateral in illicit activity
- Stolen works
- 4 paintings attributed to Antonello da Messina
- Museum
- MuMe regional museum, Messina, Sicily
- Time of theft
- Saturday evening during Ferragosto holiday, just before 10 pm
- Stolen items
- Three panels of the San Gregorio Polyptych (1473) and a double-sided panel of the Virgin Mary and dead Christ in Pieta
- Officials' reaction
- Called it 'a disaster' and 'a tremendous loss'
- Museum status
- Closed Sunday while investigators gathered evidence
- Related recovery
- Three artworks by Renoir, Cezanne and Matisse recovered in Parma, worth about 10 million euros ($11.5 million)