Kathmandu— Four Renaissance masterpieces by the Sicilian artist Antonello da Messina were stolen from the MuMe Regional Interdisciplinary Museum in Messina, Italy on Saturday evening. The heist occurred amidst celebrations for the Ferragosto holiday, drawing police resources away from the area and providing cover for the thieves who breached security to steal paintings valued at up to €80 million ($93m). The stolen works include a rare tempera panel and sections of a historic polyptych, representing significant losses to Italy’s cultural heritage.

Holiday Heist Exploits Distraction

The theft took place around 7:50 PM local time on Saturday, as Messina was preoccupied with the annual Vara procession – a major event for the Ferragosto holiday. Italian news outlet Il Giornale dell’Arte reported that thieves exploited this citywide distraction, which drew both police and large crowds to central Messina. The perpetrators cut through metal perimeter fencing along Viale Annunziata before forcing open a side door to gain access to the museum's gallery halls.

Stolen Masterpieces

Among the stolen artworks is a small, double-sided tempera panel dating back to 1465-1474 depicting the Virgin and Child with a Franciscan Monk on one side and Christ in Pieta on the other. Originally part of the Wilhelm Soldan collection, it was acquired by the Sicilian region in 2003. The thieves also dismantled five panels from the San Gregorio Polyptych, commissioned in 1473 for a monastery destroyed in the 1908 Messina earthquake; three key sections were taken, leaving two panels abandoned near the museum grounds.

Expert Concerns and Comparisons

Museum director Marisa Mercurio expressed devastation over the loss to Italian news agency ANSA, stating that the stolen works were “two of Antonello da Messina’s most important and best-known works.” Local Culture Councillor Enzo Caruso described the heist as “a real movie-style heist like at the Louvre,” noting increased international interest in Antonello's work following Italy’s recent purchase of his Ecce Homo painting for $14.9m. Lynda Albertson, CEO of the ARCA art crimes research association, cautioned that selling such high-profile artwork would be difficult, suggesting it may instead be used as leverage in other criminal activities.

Antonello da Messina's Legacy

Born around 1430, Antonello da Messina is considered a defining master of the early Italian Renaissance. Due to the scarcity of his surviving works, each painting is regarded as an irreplaceable cultural treasure. The theft comes shortly after the recovery of stolen paintings by Renoir, Cezanne and Matisse in Parma, northern Italy, valued at approximately $11.5m.

Italian authorities are currently investigating the heist and working to recover the stolen artworks, which represent a significant loss for both Messina and Italian cultural heritage.

(With inputs from Al Jazeera)

Originally published on abcnews.com.np.