Thieves Steal Eight Matisse Paintings from Brazilian Library

Two armed men stormed São Paulo’s Biblioteca Mário de Andrade on Sunday, stealing eight engravings by Henri Matisse and at least five by Brazilian modernist Cândido Portinari.

The thieves entered through the main entrance at about one thousand GMT, held up a security guard and an elderly couple visiting the library, and fled on foot toward the nearest metro station around thirteen hundred GMT.

The stolen works were part of the “From Book to Museum” exhibition, a joint showcase with the São Paulo Museum of Modern Art that was closing on its final day.

Biblioteca Mário de Andrade, the country’s second‑largest library, is equipped with facial‑recognition cameras, yet the perpetrators escaped before authorities could identify them.

Mayor Ricardo Veiga told local media that police have already identified the suspects, but the culprits remain at large.

According to Folha de São Paulo, a collage Matisse created for the limited‑edition art book *Jazz* is among the missing pieces, a work whose cultural value experts deem incalculable.

Portinari’s engravings, used to illustrate a special edition of José Lins do Rego’s novel *Menino de Engenho Plantation Boy*, were also taken; the artist is celebrated for his depictions of rural labourers and is a pillar of Brazilian modernism.

The theft reverberates beyond Brazil, prompting concern among Ghanaian art lovers and institutions such as the Museum of African Art, which often feature Latin American modernist works in its programmes.

Police are urging anyone with information to come forward, emphasizing that the investigation is ongoing and that the recovered artworks would be returned to the public exhibition.

Image Source: MYJOYONLINE