Armed Robbers Steal Matisse, Portinari Art from São Paulo Library

Two armed robbers stole 13 valuable artworks, including eight prints by French artist Henri Matisse and five engravings by Brazilian painter Candido Portinari, from the Biblioteca Mário de Andrade in downtown São Paulo on Sunday, December 7, during the final day of a collaborative exhibition with the Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo.

The theft occurred shortly after the library opened to the public around 10 a.m. The gunmen entered through the main entrance, subdued a security guard and an elderly couple who were visiting, and smashed a glass display case containing the pieces. They placed the works into a canvas bag and fled on foot before entering a getaway van, according to police accounts. Surveillance footage from the library's camera system captured the suspects, and authorities quickly responded to the scene.

São Paulo police have identified one of the two suspects but have not announced an arrest. The second suspect remains at large, and investigations are ongoing to locate the stolen items. Officers recovered the escape vehicle and are conducting forensic analysis on it. "Investigations continue to identify the second suspect and locate the stolen works of art," a...