Stolen Matisse artworks recovered by police in Brazil

What the report says

Brazilian police have recovered eight Henri Matisse illustrations that were stolen from São Paulo’s Biblioteca Mário de Andrade last year, according to BBC World News. The works were found on Thursday at a home in São Bernardo do Campo, a suburb south of the city, and a 44-year-old man was arrested at the scene.

The BBC reports that the artworks, linked to Matisse’s limited-edition book Jazz, were taken during a daylight robbery on 7 December last year, when two thieves overpowered a security guard and an elderly couple inside the library before leaving on foot. Police had already arrested three other people in connection with the case. The report also says five other stolen works, by Brazilian artist Candido Portinari, have not yet been recovered.

Brazilian media cited by the BBC say the man arrested on Thursday is suspected of holding the artworks for others allegedly involved in the theft. Another suspect, described as the alleged planner of the crime, has been in custody since April in a separate case. The library’s local culture department said the Matisse pieces have been returned and security has been strengthened.

The recovery is significant because Matisse is regarded as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, while the stolen works were estimated by police and media reports to have substantial value.