Eight Henri Matisse illustrations recovered after library heist

Police in Brazil announced that eight illustrations by French artist Henri Matisse, stolen from the Mario de Andrade Library in São Paulo last December, have been recovered. The works – valued at roughly $200,000 – were discovered Thursday evening at the house of João Paulo Linhares de Araujo in São Bernardo do Campo, a suburb of the capital. As the suspect was arrested on the spot, authorities say the art was stored on behalf of the thieves.

The heist, which took place on 7 December, involved two thieves who forced a security guard and an elderly couple to leave, then fled with the artworks via the main entrance. Three other individuals have already been detained in connection with the robbery.

In addition to the Matisse pieces, five engravings by Brazilian modernist Cândido Portinari that were also taken remain missing. Portinari’s works were commissioned to illustrate a special edition of José Lins do Rego’s novel Menino de Engheno.

Laéssio Rodrigues de Oliveira, a prolific art thief, is suspected of orchestrating the crime and has been in custody since April. His co‑criminals, including Linhares de Araujo, have been arrested for the theft.

The illustrations originally came from the limited‑edition book Jazz and were part of a "From Book to Museum" exhibition at the São Paulo Museum of Modern Art. Following the recovery, the library announced that security measures have been tightened to prevent future incidents.