Two armed thieves carried out a daytime robbery at São Paulo’s Mário de Andrade Library on Sunday, stealing 13 works of art, including eight works on paper by French modernist Henri Matisse and five pieces by Brazilian painter Candido Portinari. The stolen artworks were on display in a temporary exhibition when the assailants entered the public building and threatened a security guard and at least one visiting couple before seizing the works.
According to local authorities, the thieves removed the pieces from a glass vitrine and placed them in a bag before leaving the library and fleeing in a vehicle later found abandoned nearby. Officials have not disclosed the financial value of the stolen works but have confirmed that the haul includes engravings and prints by Matisse and illustration works by Portinari originally created for a mid‑20th‑century Brazilian book. One suspect has since been identified and arrested using São Paulo’s network of security and facial‑recognition cameras, while police continue to search for the second individual and any accomplices.
The robbery is the latest in a series of high‑profile daytime art and cultural property thefts, coming just weeks after a major jewel heist at the Louvre Museum in Paris that raised questions about security at major cultural institutions worldwide. Brazilian cultural officials have said the case underscores the vulnerability of public libraries and museums that balance open civic access with the protection of valuable works, and they have pledged to review security protocols at the Mário de Andrade Library and partner institutions.
Cover image: Henri Matisse. Exhibition view: Do livro ao museu (From the Book to the Museum), Biblioteca Mário de Andrade, São Paulo (2025). Courtesy Biblioteca Mário de Andrade. Photo: Ding Musa.
Athmaja Biju is the Editor at Abir Pothi. She is a Translator and Writer working on Visual Culture.
