Brazilian Police Recover Eight Stolen Matisse Illustrations

Brazilian police recovered eight illustrations by Henri Matisse on Thursday, stolen from a library in São Paulo.

The works, valued at approximately $200,000, were found at a home in São Bernardo do Campo, a suburb south of the city. A 44-year-old man was arrested at the scene. The illustrations, created for the limited-edition art book Jazz, were taken during a heist at the Biblioteca Mário de Andrade on December 7 of last year.

During that robbery, two thieves overpowered a security guard and an elderly couple before fleeing on foot with the artworks. Three other individuals had previously been arrested in connection with the case. Five engravings by Brazilian artist Candido Portinari, also stolen during the December 7 robbery, have not yet been recovered. São Paulo police suspect these works have been sold.

The man arrested on Thursday, João Paulo Linhares de Araujo, is suspected of storing the Matisse artworks and illegal firearm possession. Brazilian media identified Laéssio Rodrigues de Oliveira, 53, as a suspect in planning and directing the crime; he has been in custody since April for another case. The targeted exhibition, "From Book to Museum," was on its final day when the theft occurred.