On Sunday, two armed individuals entered the Biblioteca Mário de Andrade in São Paulo, Brazil, during regular operating hours and stole eight engravings by French artist Henri Matisse, along with at least five engravings by Brazilian artist Cândido Portinari. The thieves reportedly held up a security guard and an elderly couple visiting the library before fleeing on foot towards a nearby metro station.

The theft occurred on the final day of an exhibition titled From Book to Museum, which was a collaboration between the library and the São Paulo Museum of Modern Art. The Biblioteca Mário de Andrade is the second largest library in Brazil and is equipped with facial recognition technology in its security system. The mayor of São Paulo stated that the suspects have been identified but remain at large.

While officials have not released a comprehensive list of the stolen items, reports indicate that a collage by Matisse, created for the limited-edition art book Jazz, was among the works taken. Matisse is recognized as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, and the value of the stolen pieces has been described as incalculable. The engravings by Portinari were created to illustrate a special edition of the novel Menino de engenho (Plantation Boy) by Brazilian author José Lins do Rego. Portinari is noted for his depictions of rural workers and laborers, marking him as a significant figure in Brazilian Modernism.