13 Matisse and Portinari Prints Stolen in Armed Heist at São Paulo’s Mário de Andrade Library

Overview

• Police say two suspects carried out the morning theft, with one armed assailant restraining a guard and a staff member before both fled toward the Anhangabaú metro area.
• Authorities confirm 13 prints were taken, including eight plates from Matisse’s Jazz and five Portinari works from the Menino de Engenho series.
• The stolen pieces were on temporary display in the exhibition Do livro ao museu, organized in partnership with the Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo on the show’s final day.
• No injuries or arrests were reported, the scene is under forensic examination, and patrols by the Military Police and the municipal guard were reinforced in the surrounding area.
• The culture secretariat reports the works were covered by an active insurance policy and that the library’s camera footage and records are being turned over to investigators, recalling a prior 2006 theft later recovered and returned in 2024.