Italian Artist Unveils Contemporary Version of Stolen Caravaggio

For centuries, Caravaggio’s Nativity with Saint Francis and Saint Lawrence hung in a small Baroque chapel in Sicily—until a pair of art thieves absconded with the canvas in 1969. Now, a contemporary version of the stolen Caravaggio, painted by Italian artist Michelangelo Pistoletto, hangs in its place, commemorating the unsolved heist.

Michelangelo Pistoletto is known as a leading figure of Arte Povera, an anti-establishment conceptual art movement that swept Italy in the late 1960s and early 70s. Arte Povera, which means “poor art” in Italian, aimed to disrupt the commercialization of the contemporary art world by favoring non-traditional, low-value materials. The 91-year-old artist’s latest work, a signature mirror painting titled Annunciazione Terzo Paradiso, is now on view at the Oratory of Saint Lawrence in Palermo, Sicily. It pays tribute to Caravaggio’s nativity scene, which was stolen from the very same spot 55 years ago.

Pistoletto borrowed the angel from the original painting, replacing the scroll in the figure’s hands with the symbol of the Third Paradise, a reconfiguration of the mathematical infinity sign. In a statement, Pistoletto explained, “By preserving a part of the ancient painting, the angel descending from the sky brings the Annunciation of the Third Paradise as a symbol of a possible balance between nature and artifice. This vision invites collective responsibility, transforming conflict into a new horizon of civilization, where creation prevails over destruction.”

Commission Aims to “Keep the Memory of the Famous Canvas Alive”

Each year, the Amici dei Musei commissions a contemporary Italian artist to reimagine the stolen Caravaggio canvas. The resulting piece must match the dimensions and reflect the theme of the original 17th-century work. It then hangs in situ at the Oratory of Saint Lawrence in Palermo. Previous years’ participants include Alessandro Bazan, Vanessa Beecroft, and Fulvio Di Piazza.

According to a statement from the Amici dei Musei, “The aim of the project is to keep the memory of the famous canvas alive and to exorcise, through art, one of the most dramatic events in the history of cultural heritage, an open wound that still awaits, with hope, a possible recovery.”

Caravaggio (1571-1610) painted Nativity with Saint Francis and Saint Lawrence shortly before his death at age 38. For over 300 years, the canvas hung in Palermo’s Oratory of Saint Lawrence, a small yet sumptuously decorated Baroque chapel. On an October night in 1969, two thieves entered the chapel and cut the Caravaggio canvas from its frame. The FBI, Interpol, and Italian police have all since investigated the heist, which has yet to be solved. Leading theories point fingers at members of the Sicilian Mafia, but the painting’s whereabouts remain unknown.