Overview
- Police say unknown intruders bypassed alarms on the night of Saturday, August 15, and removed three of the five panels from the Políptico de San Gregorio plus a double-sided Antonello tablilla from MuMe in Messina.
- The museum closed for forensic inspections and the Fiscalía de Messina opened a criminal probe as investigators work to reconstruct how the alarm and security systems were defeated.
- Art experts estimate the four pieces are worth about €70–80 million and note that Antonello da Messina has only about forty surviving paintings, which raises the cultural and market value of each work.
- Specialists and prosecutors warn the paintings are hard to sell through legal channels because they are instantly recognizable, so they may circulate in criminal networks or be used as collateral rather than appear on the open market.
- The theft follows heightened state interest in Antonello after a government auction purchase earlier this year and comes as police point to Ferragosto celebrations and a local procession as factors that likely reduced local oversight.