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Police recover eight stolen Matisse prints
Brazilian police recovered eight Matisse prints stolen from a São Paulo library in December.
What happened
São Paulo state police recovered eight Henri Matisse prints from the illustrated book Jazz after their theft from the Biblioteca Mário de Andrade. Officers found them at a home in São Bernardo do Campo and arrested a man they stated was holding them for the alleged organiser. The library received the prints back.
Numbers
- 8 printsMatisse prints recovered by police
- 5 worksPortinari works still missing
- $200,000Estimated value of recovered prints — Police estimate
Questions
- What remains missing from the theft?
- Five works by Brazilian artist Cândido Portinari, taken in the same December raid, remain missing; the recovery covers only the Matisse prints.
- How were the prints taken?
- The thieves subdued a security guard and an older visiting couple before leaving the library on foot through its main entrance.
- Why was the arrest linked to theft?
- Police stated that the man held the prints for the alleged organiser, who had been detained in April in a separate case.
- What changed at the library afterward?
- The Biblioteca Mário de Andrade reinforced its security after the prints were returned, adding a safeguard beyond the recovery itself.
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The catch
Coverage does not confirm whether investigators have located the remaining Portinari works or recovered other stolen material.