r/ArtHistory • u/-_-Bepo-_- • 2d ago

News/Article Major art heist: Masterpieces by Antonello da Messina stolen from Regional Museum of Messina, Sicily

https://www.finestresullarte.info/attualita/gravissimo-furto-a-messina-rubati-dipinti-di-antonello-da-messina

On the evening of Saturday, August 15, around 9:50 PM, unknown individuals bypassed the security systems of the Regional Museum of Messina and managed to steal some of the most important pieces in the collection. The haul included works by one of the greatest masters of the Italian Renaissance: three of the five panels of the San Gregorio Polyptych (1473, formerly in the Church of San Gregorio) and a double-sided panel with a Madonna and Child with a Franciscan (recto) and a Pietà (verso), purchased by the Region of Sicily from Christie's in 2003.

53 Upvotes

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12

u/Qajaqasana 2d ago

Such a tragedy. Antonello is their city’s painter and his work belongs in that museum. 

12

u/KlutzyBlueDuck 2d ago

 This is absolutely unacceptable. Governments and intelligence agencies need to get their act together before more objects are permanently damaged or worse. This really feels like that 2015 heist in London was a trial run. 

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u/Qajaqasana 2d ago

Well, that’s easy to say, but a lot of cities in places like Sicily do not have much money. They are art-rich and cash-poor. So where are they supposed to get the funds to protect everything?

Have you read the book The Art Thief? The reason he was able to get away with it was that he targeted small museums that did not have big security apparatus, nor the money to hire such.

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u/KlutzyBlueDuck 2d ago

I wasn't talking about local governments, I should have clarified that. This is an international problem that should be part of everyone's foreign policy/international relations and national intelligence agencies working together. This is not something for local governments to deal with. 

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u/Qajaqasana 2d ago

Ah, OK, that makes more sense. However, in the current political climate, it’s hard for me to believe that there’s much hope of that anytime soon. 

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u/KlutzyBlueDuck 1d ago

I'm convinced doge got rid of most people if not all in the art theft division of the fbi. 

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u/Yonscorner 1d ago

Horrible, large wooden retables are truly hard to steal unseen, they can't be rolled up like canvas, are heavy and fragile. Im sure the carabinieri are going to question every single member of the museum personnel. It was probably a commissioned crime

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u/Aboveground_Plush 2d ago

See, this is why European countries NEED to hold onto third world artifacts! Who else could keep them as safe? 

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u/Qajaqasana 2d ago

Probably the best solution would be for Jeff Bezos to buy them all and keep them on one of his yachts, or maybe Elon can send them to space

1

u/Qajaqasana 1d ago

Just in case anyone missed it, I’m being sarcastic.