Police Recover Stolen Matisse Artworks in Brazil
Eight illustrations by French artist Henri Matisse, valued at roughly $200,000, were recovered by police on Thursday after being stolen from São Paulo’s Biblioteca Mário de Andrade in December 2025.
The Matisse pieces were taken on 7 December during a raid that also seized five engravings by Brazilian master Cândido Portinari. The thieves overpowered a security guard and an elderly visitor before slipping away with the artworks in a canvas bag.
The recovered works were found at a home in São Bernardo do Campo, a suburb south of São Paulo, where a 44‑year‑old man was arrested for illegal possession of a firearm and suspected involvement in the theft. Police also detained Laéssio Rodrigues de Oliveira, a prolific art thief described by Brazilian media as the mastermind behind the heist, along with two additional suspects.
While the stolen Matisse illustrations have been returned to the library—now with improved security—the five Portinari engravings remain missing, with authorities suggesting they may have been sold on the illicit art market.
The theft was aimed at an exhibition titled “From Book to Museum,” which showcased the limited‑edition art book Jazz and a special edition of José Lins do Rego’s novel Menino de Engheno. For Matisse, a pillar of 20th century art, and Portinari, a key figure of Brazilian modernism, the value of the stolen works extends beyond monetary worth into cultural heritage.
