Sao Paulo, Brazil, August 14, 2026 – Eight works by the famous French painter Henri Matisse, stolen in December 2025 from the Mário de Andrade Library in São Paulo, have been recovered by Brazilian police.
Authorities have released some images of the discovery, which show the works lying on a bed inside an apartment in São Bernardo do Campo, a city in the São Paulo metropolitan area. A gun was also found next to the paintings.
According to Brazilian authorities, the overall value of the works is estimated at approximately 200,000 dollars, equal to approximately 173,000 euros.
The theft occurred last December inside the Mário de Andrade Library, one of the most important cultural institutions in the city of São Paulo. The Matisse works were part of the library’s artistic heritage.
Police investigations led to the recovery of the eight works and the arrest of a person believed to be involved in the theft. Investigators are now trying to reconstruct the entire sequence of events and identify any other perpetrators.
The discovery represents an important recovery for Brazilian cultural heritage and allows the rescue of works by one of the most important protagonists of 20th-century art.