Brazilian authorities arrested one suspect after an armed robbery at São Paulo's Mário de Andrade Library on Sunday, where two thieves stole eight Henri Matisse engravings and works by Brazilian painter Candido Portinari. The artworks were displayed in a glass vitrine as part of the exhibition “From the Book to the Museum,” which was set to close November 30. The thieves held up a security guard and a couple, stuffed the items into a canvas bag, and discarded some works near a rubbish heap during their escape, partially captured by facial recognition cameras. The second suspect remains at large, and the library has not disclosed which specific works were taken.
The heist matters because it underscores the growing boldness and violence of art thefts globally, following recent high-profile incidents at institutions like the Louvre Museum. The stolen Matisse works are highly valuable—his auction record for works on paper is $13 million, and his 2025 sales total around $130 million—making recovery urgent. Experts like Christopher A. Marinello of Art Recovery International warn that criminals are becoming increasingly sophisticated and unafraid of law enforcement, complicating efforts to retrieve looted art that often enters a global criminal network.