Brazilian police have recovered eight illustrations by French artist Henri Matisse that were stolen from a library in São Paulo, arresting a suspect in connection with the case.
Authorities said the artworks, estimated to be worth about $200,000, were discovered on Thursday at a residence in São Bernardo do Campo, a town south of the city. A 44-year-old man was arrested at the scene, and police suspect he stored the Matisse pieces on behalf of the alleged thieves, in addition to being in illegal possession of a firearm.
The recovery follows a robbery at the Biblioteca Mário de Andrade on 7 December last year, during which two thieves overpowered a security guard and an elderly couple visiting the library. The perpetrators left through the main entrance on foot, carrying the artwork in a canvas bag.
The Matisse illustrations were created for the limited-edition art book ‘Jazz’ and formed part of an exhibition with the São Paulo Museum of Modern Art. The show also included five engravings by Brazilian modernist painter Candido Portinari, made to illustrate a special edition of the novel ‘Menino de Engenho’ by José Lins do Rego. The theft occurred on the final day of the exhibition.
The Portinari engravings remain missing, and investigators believe they may have been sold. Three other individuals were previously arrested in relation to the heist, including Laéssio Rodrigues de Oliveira, 53, a suspected prolific art thief who is accused of planning and directing the crime, according to Brazilian outlet Globo. A man and a woman were also arrested.
The recovered illustrations have been returned to the library, which has improved its security following the incident. Art experts described the value of the stolen works as ‘incalculable,’ while Matisse is considered one of the most influential artists of the 20th century.