Thieves steal 4 Renaissance artworks in Sicilian museum heist

MILAN -- Thieves stole four works attributed to Renaissance painter Antonello da Messina from the regional museum in the city of Messina in Sicily during the Italian Ferragosto holiday, cultural officials and Italian media said Sunday. The thieves bypassed alarm and security systems on Saturday evening at the MuMe museum to make off with 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, which was removed from an armored display case, the news agency LaPresse reported.“We are devastated by what happened. They were two of Antonello da Messina’s most important and best-known works. It is a tremendous loss for the museum, the city, the community and the art world,” MuMe director Marisa Mercurio told the ANSA news agency. She said the theft occurred just before 10 p.m., and described the works as central to the region's heritage. “These are not merely works by Antonello da Messina,” she told Sky TG24. “They are works that hold considerable significance in terms of our identity, as well as, of course, their artistic and cultural value, because they are works by our ver...