Two armed men stole eight engravings by French master Henri Matisse and at least five works by celebrated Brazilian painter Cândido Portinari from São Paulo’s Biblioteca Mário de Andrade on Sunday.
The thieves entered the library through the main entrance around 10:00 local time, subdued a security guard and an elderly couple visiting the exhibition, and fled on foot toward a nearby metro station.
The heist targeted the final day of the exhibition From Book to Museum, a joint project with the São Paulo Museum of Modern Art.
While officials have not released a full inventory, local newspaper Folha de São Paulo reported that among the stolen Matisse works is a collage from his limited-edition art book Jazz. Art critics describe the value of the pieces as “incalculable.”
The Portinari engravings were created for a special edition of the novel Menino de Engenho (Plantation Boy) by José Lins do Rego.
São Paulo’s mayor told local media the thieves have been identified but remain at large. The library, Brazil’s second largest, is equipped with facial recognition cameras, yet the robbery was executed swiftly and in broad daylight.
The theft follows a high-profile jewel heist at the Louvre in Paris less than two months ago, raising renewed concerns about security at major cultural institutions.
By James Kisoo
