Full story
Ferragosto museum heist
Thieves stole four Renaissance artworks by Antonello da Messina from the Regional Museum of Messina (MuMe) in Messina, Sicily, bypassing alarm and security systems around 10:00 p.m. (2000 GMT) on Saturday evening as the city celebrated Ferragosto.
“around 10:00 p.m. (2000 GMT) on Saturday evening”
DW said robbers targeted the museum and made off with several panels painted by Antonello da Messina, including three of the five surviving panels from Antonello's 1473 "San Gregorio Polyptych" and a smaller, double-sided panel locked in an armored display case.
AP reported that thieves bypassed alarm and security systems on Saturday evening at the MuMe museum and removed 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.
AP added that the thieves removed all five panels of the San Gregorio Polyptych from their frame but abandoned two behind a wall while fleeing, and that the heist happened while crowds gathered across town for the traditional Assumption holiday celebrations.
Officials, experts, and plans
MuMe Director Marisa Mercurio told Italy's ANSA news agency, "We are devastated by what happened," describing the stolen works as "a tremendous loss for the museum, the city, the community and the art world," while Messina Mayor Federico Basile called the theft "deeply reprehensible."
AP quoted Mercurio saying the theft occurred just before 10 p.m. and that "the alarms were working and the guards were on site," even as the theft took place during Assumption holiday celebrations.
Reuters quoted Enzo Caruso, a local councillor in charge of culture, saying the city had been "truly stunned" by the burglary and adding, "At first, nobody could believe it."
Reuters also reported that Caruso said the purchase of an Antonello da Messina piece by the Italian state for $15 million earlier this year had likely put the Messina museum on the criminals' radar, and that "This was almost certainly a commissioned theft," he said.
Value, investigations, and risk
Art expert Alberto Fiz estimated the value of the stolen works at 70 million euros ($81 million) to 80 million euros ($92 million), while DW said initial estimates range from €70-€80 million ($81-$92 million) and that the museum remained closed Sunday as investigators searched for evidence.
“"Stealing an Antonello may be far easier than selling one"”
Investigators are examining how thieves escaped despite functioning alarms and surveillance cameras, and Medievalists.net said the Sicilian regional government later said that both the alarm and surveillance cameras had functioned properly.
Reuters said the thieves stole five wooden panels that made up an altarpiece measuring 170 cm by 203 cm, known as Polittico di San Gregorio, but abandoned two panels just outside the museum, and it added that the small two-sided painting was part of the Wilhelm Soldan collection and was sold by Christie's to the Sicilian Region in 2003.
AP reported that Lynda Albertson, an art-crime analyst, said the works are instantly recognizable, impeding any effort to sell them through reputable channels, and that "Stealing an Antonello may be far easier than selling one," while the museum was closed Sunday and investigators gathered evidence.