Four Renaissance artworks by Antonello da Messina stolen from Sicilian museum

Aug 16, 2026

On August 15, 2026, thieves bypassed security systems at the Museo Regionale di Messina in Sicily to steal four Renaissance masterpieces by Antonello da Messina, valued at up to 80 million euros. The heist occurred during the Ferragosto holiday, exploiting the distraction of the city's traditional Vara procession. Stolen works include three panels of the 1473 San Gregorio Polyptych and a double-sided devotional painting. The theft represents a devastating blow to Messina's cultural heritage.

Antonello da Messina museum heist

▪Thieves stole four Renaissance artworks attributed to painter Antonello da Messina from the Museo Regionale di Messina in Sicily on August 15, 2026.
▪Art expert Alberto Fiz estimated the value of the four stolen Antonello da Messina artworks at 70 million to 80 million euros.

Theft during Ferragosto holiday

▪The thieves who targeted the Museo Regionale di Messina on August 15, 2026, exploited the citywide distraction of the traditional Vara procession, which drew police and crowds to central Messina.
▪The theft at the Museo Regionale di Messina occurred at approximately 9:50 p.m. on August 15, 2026, during Italy's Ferragosto national holiday.

Stolen Renaissance artworks

▪One of the artworks stolen from the Museo Regionale di Messina on August 15, 2026, was a small, double-sided painting depicting the Virgin and Child with a Franciscan monk on one side and Christ on the other.
▪The thieves who targeted the Museo Regionale di Messina removed all five panels of the San Gregorio Polyptych from their frame but abandoned two panels on a wall outside the museum.
▪The artworks stolen from the Museo Regionale di Messina on August 15, 2026, included three of the five surviving panels of Antonello da Messina's 1473 altarpiece, the San Gregorio Polyptych.
▪The stolen double-sided painting by Antonello da Messina was acquired by the Sicilian regional government at a Christie's auction in 2003, the year it was attributed to the artist.

Cultural heritage loss

▪Lynda Albertson, chief executive of the Association for Research into Crimes against Art, stated that the stolen Antonello da Messina artworks are too recognizable to sell through reputable channels.
▪Messina officials had planned a cultural initiative to capitalize on international interest following the Italian government's $14.9 million purchase of Antonello da Messina's 'Ecce Homo' in early 2026.
▪The San Gregorio Polyptych, from which three panels were stolen on August 15, 2026, was the only surviving masterpiece by Antonello da Messina that had never left his native city of Messina.

Museum security breach

▪The thieves bypassed the security systems at the Museo Regionale di Messina on August 15, 2026, cut through perimeter fencing, and forced open an exterior side door.
▪The thieves removed the double-sided Antonello da Messina painting directly from an armored glass display case inside the Museo Regionale di Messina.

Recent Italian art thefts

▪The heist at the Museo Regionale di Messina occurred shortly after Italian police recovered three paintings by Cézanne, Renoir, and Matisse that were stolen from the Magnani Rocca Foundation in March 2026.
▪Italian authorities detained five individuals in connection with the March 2026 theft of the French master paintings from the Magnani Rocca Foundation in Parma province.