French painter, draughtsman and sculptor, leader of Fauvism and a master of modern colour
Thieves have taken three panels from Antonello da Messina's San Gregorio polyptych and a small double-sided devotional panel from the Regional Museum in Messina late on Aug. 15 during the city's Vara procession. Two panels were later abandoned near the museum. Authorities are investigating a likely commissioned theft and probing how alarms were circumvented.
Stolen artworks attributed to Antonello da Messina have been taken from the Regional Interdisciplinary Museum of Messina during a late Saturday burglary caught on Assumption Day in the city. Five wooden panels comprising the San Gregorio Polyptych and a small two-sided Virgin and Christ painting have been seized; two panels were left behind near the museum grounds. Authorities suspect the theft was ordered for high-value art trafficking.
A Van Cleef & Arpels necklace designed for an Egyptian royal wedding has been stolen from Vienna’s MAK during an exhibition. Police say two suspects entered with tickets, shattered a display case with a hammer, and fled in an unknown direction. The piece is valued at more than $4 million. The theft is the latest in a string of European museum heists.