Art Theft at MuMe: Antonello da Messina Works Missing Amid Reflection on Famous Heists
During the Ferragosto heist at the MuMe museum in Messina, four masterpieces by Antonello da Messina went missing: the Madonna with Child, the Angel Announcing, the Virgin Announced, and a double-sided panel depicting Christ in Piety alongside the Virgin with Blessing Child. Two of the panels were discovered near the museum's railings. While investigators initially pointed to a financial motive, art experts argue that selling such well-known works would be challenging. The article also references notable art thefts, including Vincenzo Peruggia's 1911 theft of the Mona Lisa, Kempton Bunton's 1961 theft of Goya's Portrait of the Duke of Wellington, and Pål Enger's 1994 theft of Munch's The Scream. Author Mosè Previti expresses hope for the recovery of the stolen pieces.
Key facts
- Four works by Antonello da Messina are missing from the MuMe in Messina after an August 2026 theft: Madonna with Child, Angel Announcing, Virgin Announced, and a double-sided panel with Christ in Piety and Virgin with Blessing Child.
- Two panels from the same polyptych were found near the museum railings.
- Experts say the stolen masterpieces would be very difficult to sell on the black market.
- Vincenzo Peruggia stole the Mona Lisa from the Louvre in 1911 and hid it in his Paris room for two years.
- Kempton Bunton stole Goya's Portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery in London in August 1961; it was hidden for four years, and he claimed it was to pressure the BBC to exempt pensioners from the license fee.
- Pål Enger stole Munch's The Scream on 12 February 1994, the day the Lillehammer Winter Olympics opened, and later said he wanted the painting's magic, not money.
- Doudou Cross Bitume, accused of stealing the Louvre crown jewels, said the theft was commissioned by strangers with Slavic accents.
- Author Mosè Previti was completing a book on art thefts when the MuMe theft occurred; he is from Messina.
- Pål Enger's funeral took place on 17 July 2024 in Vålerenga Church, Oslo.
- A Goya painting stolen by Bunton appeared in the James Bond film Dr. No.
Entities
Artists
- Antonello da Messina
- Francisco Goya
- Edvard Munch
- Vincenzo Peruggia
- Kempton Bunton
- John Bunton
- Pål Enger
- Doudou Cross Bitume
- Pedro Elias Garzon Delvaux
- Mosè Previti
- Napoleone Bonaparte
- Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington
- Robin Hood
- Arsène Lupin
Institutions
- MuMe (Museo regionale di Messina)
- Louvre
- National Gallery di Londra
- Scotland Yard
- BBC
- Chiesa di Vålerenga
- Galerie d'Apollon
- Artribune
Locations
- Messina
- Italy
- Paris
- France
- Belgium
- London
- United Kingdom
- Oslo
- Norway
- Vålerenga
- Lillehammer
- Aubervilliers
- Mali