Brazil art heist: 8 Henri Matisse artworks among 13 pieces stolen in armed robbery
A brazen art heist from a library in São Paulo, Brazil, on Sunday has left 13 artworks missing, including eight engravings by famed French painter Henri Matisse.
The São Paulo State Government confirmed to ABC News that two armed men broke into the Mario de Andrade Library, stealing the eight Matisse engravings and five works from Brazilian painter Candido Portinari.
Brazil's Military Police told ABC News that one of the robbers held up a security guard and a couple of visitors during the burglary.
The suspects are at large and were last seen escaping into the Anhangabau subway station, the governor's office said.
A team of investigators is on the scene and will analyze security cameras, police said. It is currently unclear how much the pieces were worth.
The 13 pieces were part of the exhibition "From the Book to the Museum," which was scheduled to end on Sunday.
It was a collaboration between the Museum of Modern Art of São Paulo (MAM) and the Library Mario de Andrade.
In October 2025, some 60 drawings by Matisse were sold for more than $2.5 million at Christie's auction in New York City.
The robbery in Brazil comes nearly two months after the $102 million jewelry heist at the Louvre Museum in Paris.
The daytime robbery garnered global attention on Oct. 19, when a group of thieves broke into the Louvre Museum’s Apollon Gallery and made off with eight culturally priceless pieces of the French crown jewels.
