Overview
- Thieves entered the Museo Regionale di Messina on the night of Saturday, Aug. 15, bypassed alarms and removed three panels from the 1473 Polittico di San Gregorio plus a double‑sided devotional panel from an armoured case.
- Messina prosecutors, local police and the Carabinieri have closed MuMe to gather evidence and are reviewing surveillance footage as part of a developing criminal probe with no arrests announced so far.
- Museum director Marisa Mercurio described the theft as a devastating loss for the city and the art world because the stolen works include parts of the only Antonello altarpiece that never left his hometown.
- Art‑crime experts say the paintings' fame makes them hard to sell through legitimate channels so they are likely to be traded inside criminal networks or held as collateral, which will shape investigative priorities.
- The heist follows renewed attention to Antonello this year after the Italian state bought an Antonello work in March and comes shortly after police recovered other high‑value stolen paintings near Parma, underlining persistent security gaps for Italian collections.