Armed thieves steal Matisse works from Brazilian library

Two armed thieves on Sunday stole more than a dozen works, including eight by Henri Matisse, during viewing hours on the final day of an exhibition at a library in Brazil.

The prints were stolen from the Mário de Andrade Library and were part of a joint exhibition with the Museum of Modern Art of São Paulo titled “From Book to Museum," Brazilian officials confirmed to Urgent Matter. The show, which opened in October and ran through Sunday, included works by more than 30 artists.

"The Museum of Modern Art of São Paulo expresses its deep solidarity with the Mário de Andrade Library and its entire team in the face of the theft of artworks that occurred on its premises," a museum spokesman told Urgent Matter.

The museum said that the items stolen were eight prints from the "Jazz" series by Henri Matisse and five prints by Candido Portinari from the "Menino de Engenho" series, all of which belonged to the library.

During the heist, the robbers reportedly subdued security workers and an elderly couple visiting the exhibition, according to Brazilian media. Nobody was injured and no arrests have been made, though police have reportedly identified suspects in the case.

The artworks taken were covered by an insurance policy, São Paulo Secretariat of Culture and Creative Economy said in a statement to Urgent Matter.

The theft comes less than two months after the heist at the Louvre Museum in Paris, which has drawn international attention to the protection of major artworks and artifacts at global museums.

Updated at 2:05 p.m. on December 8, 2025: Included new information and comments from the Museum of Modern Art of São Paulo, as well as a new image of a stolen work.