Matisse and Portinari artworks stolen in São Paulo heist
Two armed men stole eight engravings by Henri Matisse and at least five works by Brazilian Modernist master Candido Portinari from São Paulo’s Biblioteca Mário de Andrade, triggering a major police investigation.
According to officials, the suspects entered the library on Sunday morning, threatening a security guard and an elderly couple before seizing the artworks, which were on display as part of a joint exhibition with the São Paulo Museum of Modern Art, News.Az reports, citing Qazinform News Agency.
In a statement, the São Paulo government said one suspect was detained on Monday following an analysis of security camera footage that captured the entire incident. Investigators also located the getaway vehicle shortly before the arrest.
Authorities noted that both the library and the surrounding city center are equipped with extensive surveillance infrastructure, including facial recognition systems, which played a key role in identifying the suspects.
The exhibition, titled From Book to Museum, was in its final hours when the thieves walked in and out through the library’s main entrance, carrying what appeared to be a sack full of stolen works. Local media published footage purportedly showing the men heading toward a nearby metro station after the theft.
Officials have yet to release a full inventory of the missing pieces. However, Folha de São Paulo reported that a rare Matisse collage created for the limited-edition book Jazz is among the stolen items. Art experts describe the value of the missing works as “beyond measure” due to the significance of both artists:
Henri Matisse, a central figure of 20th-century modernism
Candido Portinari, known for defining portrayals of Brazilian rural life and social history
The stolen engravings and paintings are considered culturally irreplaceable.
New Zealand police recovered a Fabergé egg locket that a 32-year-old man allegedly swallowed while attempting to steal it from a jewelry store in central Auckland.
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