In brief
Eight highly prized Henri Matisse illustrations were stolen from São Paulo’s Biblioteca Mário de Andrade in December 2025. Police recovered the pieces during a raid in São Bernardo do Campo, arresting a 44‑year‑old suspect. The theft involved a canvas bag, an illegal firearm and a coordinated escape. While all Matisse works are back, five engravings by Candido Portinari remain missing.
Brazilian police recovered eight stolen Henri Matisse illustrations from a São Paulo library after a coordinated raid.
The murals, painted for a limited edition book, had an estimated combined value of roughly $200,000 (£148,000). They were seized from a house in São Bernardo do Campo on Thursday, and the 44‑year‑old resident has been arrested for holding the artworks on behalf of thieves and for illegal firearms possession.
The original heist took place on 7 December at the Biblioteca Mário de Andrade, where two thieves mistook a security guard and an elderly couple as distractions, then walked out with the pieces via the main door. Three other suspects had already been arrested in relation to the affair.
Investigators say five Portinari engravings, also taken that night, remain missing and may have been sold. The Portinari pieces illustrated a special edition of José Lins do Rego’s novel Menino de engheno and were part of a joint exhibition titled From Book to Museum at the São Paulo Museum of Modern Art.
The Matisse works themselves are considered priceless by art critics, who note the artist’s lasting influence on 20th‑century art. Their return has lifted the library’s security profile, though the cases of art theft continue to concern the cultural community.
