On July 28, a group of 10 people ransacked the headquarters of the Italian fuel distribution company, Lilli Petroli, in L’Aquila, located in Italy’s Abruzzo region, spending as long as eight hours on the premises before making off with over £4 million ($4.63 million) of art, first reported local outlet Il Centro.
About 30 artworks belonging to Lilli Petroli owner Mauro Lilli were stolen in the unusual heist, including bas-reliefs attributed to Pablo Picasso, a bronze ballerina sculpture by Giacomo Manzù, paintings by Bruno d’Arcevia of the Italian Manner movement, and pieces by sculptor Mario Moretto. None were ensured, and the collection had been displayed throughout the company’s lobby and offices.
Police told local news outlets that thieves used one of the company trucks to smash through the site’s security gate and then spent eight hours combing through the building. “They made a mess,” Lilli told Il Messaggero. “They didn’t spare anything,” he added, noting they also damaged furniture and the floors.
“It’s not your typical theft-to-order,” observed the founder of Art Recovery International, Christopher Marinello, speaking to Ocula. “It appears to me as some sort of revenge, more of an attack on the company or Mauro Lilli himself,” Marinello explained, pointing to the relatively low-tier artworks, given the high risk and organization involved. Since “Mauro Lilli takes great pride in his art collection … it could be a way to send a message,” he said.
This would contradict reported suspicions that the thieves were hired by a criminal network specializing in international art trafficking, due to “the impressive logistical organization” of the brazen heist, and that the recognizable artworks may be headed to wealthy private collectors, according to Il Centro.
Local police and the special Carabinieri Cultural Heritage Protection Unit (TPC) are investigating the case.
