Eight Henri Matisse illustrations stolen from the Biblioteca Mário de Andrade on 7 December last year have been recovered by police in São Paulo.
The works, valued at about $200,000, were found Thursday at a home in São Bernardo do Campo where a 44‑year‑old suspect was arrested on charges of illegal possession and armed possession of a firearm.
The theft took place during the final day of the “From Book to Museum” exhibition, with thieves entering through the main entrance, taking the pieces in a canvas bag, and fleeing toward the nearest metro station.
Three other people had been arrested earlier in the case; five engravings by Brazilian artist Candido Portinari, taken at the same time, remain missing and are suspected to have been sold on the black market.
Authorities suspect the 44‑year‑old man was acting on behalf of a broader criminal network, while the alleged mastermind Laéssio Rodrigues de Oliveira has been in custody since April.
