A brazen daylight robbery has shaken the cultural heart of São Paulo, Brazil. Eight original engravings by Henri Matisse, alongside five significant works by Brazilian master Candido Portinari, vanished from the Mario de Andrade Library on Sunday.
The theft unfolded with chilling efficiency. Two armed men confronted a security guard and an elderly couple enjoying a visit, swiftly moving towards the library’s glass-domed exhibition space.
Inside, the robbers targeted the “From the Book to the Museum” exhibition, a collaboration between the library and the Museum of Modern Art of São Paulo. They carefully removed the artworks, placing them into a large canvas bag before making their escape through the main entrance.
Among the stolen Matisse pieces were delicate collages originally featured in his influential 1947 art book, “Jazz.” The exhibition, sadly, was scheduled to close its doors on the very day of the heist.
Authorities are currently withholding the estimated value of the stolen collection, focusing instead on a thorough investigation. Security camera footage is being meticulously reviewed, and evidence is being gathered from the scene.
This incident arrives on the heels of another audacious art theft – a recent break-in at the Louvre Museum in Paris, where thieves made off with jewelry valued at approximately $100 million in a matter of minutes. The escalating boldness of these crimes is raising concerns within the international art community.
Elsewhere, a separate incident has seen dozens of ancient gold coins stolen from a Swiss museum, highlighting a disturbing trend of targeting cultural treasures. The investigations into both thefts are ongoing, with authorities determined to recover the stolen artifacts and bring the perpetrators to justice.
