Two Armed Thieves Steal 13 Matisse and Portinari Prints From São Paulo’s Mário de Andrade Library

Overview

• The theft occurred on Sunday morning, the final day of a joint exhibition with MAM-SP, with eight Matisse and five Portinari prints taken from the library in central São Paulo.
• The suspects overpowered security staff and fled toward the Vale do Anhangabaú; no one was injured and no arrests had been made by early Monday.
• The stolen Matisse works include eight plates from the rare book Jazz, such as Le clown, Le cirque and Le Cowboy, while the Portinari pieces come from the Menino de Engenho series.
• Polícia Civil isolated the site for forensics and is conducting diligences using CCTV and SmartSampa recordings that show two men handling artworks near a van on Rua João Adolfo.
• Authorities say the venue had guards and cameras and that the works were insured, patrols around the library were reinforced, and the case recalls earlier thefts with some items recovered in 2024.