Italy: Thieves steal key Renaissance paintings in Sicily

Four Renaissance paintings by Antonello da Messina were stolen from his Sicilian hometown on Saturday after surviving earthquakes and centuries of history. Crooks took them while locals celebrated a religious holiday.

The paintings by Antonello da Messina were taken under cover of a huge religious festival that sees 100,000 people flock to the city of Messina.

Thieves stole four works attributed to Renaissance painter Antonello da Messina worth millions of euros from the regional museum in the city of Messina in Sicily while crowds gathered across town for the traditional Assumption holiday celebrations, cultural officials and Italian media said on Sunday. The thieves bypass

The thieves stole three of the five surviving panels of the San Gregorio Polyptych, dated to 1473, as well as the double-sided panel depicting the Virgin Mary and the dead Christ in Pietà.

Art expert Alberto Fiz estimated the value of the stolen works at 70 million euros ($81 million) to 80 million euros ($92 million).

Thieves steal 4 Renaissance artworks in a Sicilian museum heist during an Italian holiday  CNN

Art experts say the works are instantly recognisable and would be difficult to sell through reputable channels.

Thieves steal 4 Renaissance artworks in a Sicilian museum heist during an Italian holiday  AP News

Four artworks by Renaissance painter Antonello da Messina have been stolen from the Museo Regionale in Messina, Sicily, overnight on August 15. The thieves took three panels from his Polittico di San Gregorio, depriving the city of part of the only surviving works by the painter still held in his hometown. Italian auth

Theft comes just days after police in the city of Parma announced that they had recovered three stolen artworks by Renoir, Cézanne and Matisse worth about 10 million euros

Thieves have stolen four works attributed to Sicilian Renaissance painter Antonello da Messina from a regional museum in the city of Messina in Sicily

Roberto Serra - Iguana Press / Roberto Serra, Getty Images Thieves stole four works by Sicilian Renaissance painter Antonello da Messina from the MuMe regional museum in Sicily during Ferragosto, a major Italian public holiday. On Saturday evening, just before 10 p.m., they evaded the museum’s alarm and security system

Thieves stole four works attributed to the Sicilian Renaissance painter Antonello da Messina from a regional museum in the Sicilian city of Messina on the Italian Ferragosto holiday, the news agency LaPresse reported Sunday.

Local officials have expressed their dismay and sadness at the theft which occurred during celebrations of the Virgin Mary.

The thieves bypassed alarm and security systems Saturday evening at the MuMe regional museum to make off with three of the five surviving panels of the San Gregorio Polyptych, dated from 1473, as well as the double-sided panel depicting the Virgin Mary and dead Christ in Pietà, which was removed from an armored display

The Italian government in March bought a devotional painting titled “Ecce Homo” by da Messina for $14.9 million.

Thieves steal 4 Renaissance artworks in Sicilian museum heist on Italian holiday  Toronto Star

Thieves have stolen four works attributed to Sicilian Renaissance painter Antonello da Messina from a museum in Messina, Sicily