Thieves stroll out of Brazil library with eight Matisse artwork works

[ad_1] <img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/a226/live/0131e580-d41e-11f0-aae0-a150da5fcfef.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/a226/live/0131e580-d41e-11f0-aae0-a150da5fcfef.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/a226/live/0131e580-d41e-11f0-aae0-a150da5fcfef.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/a226/live/0131e580-d41e-11f0-aae0-a150da5fcfef.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/a226/live/0131e580-d41e-11f0-aae0-a150da5fcfef.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/a226/live/0131e580-d41e-11f0-aae0-a150da5fcfef.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/a226/live/0131e580-d41e-11f0-aae0-a150da5fcfef.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/a226/live/0131e580-d41e-11f0-aae0-a150da5fcfef.jpg.webp" loading="eager" alt="AFP via Getty Images A police car with flashing lights stands in front of the main entrance to the Biblioteca Mario de Andrade in São Paulo. A uniformed police officer is standing guard next to the entrance. A banner hanging from the column at the left-hand side of the entrance advertises the exhibition "From book to museum"." class="sc-5340b511-0 hLdNfA"/> AFP through Getty Photos The thieves reportedly walked into the library throughout regular opening hours

Two armed males have stolen eight engravings by French artist Matisse and a minimum of one other 5 by Brazilian painter Cândido Portinari from a library in São Paulo.

Brazilian officers say the thieves held up a safety guard and an aged couple who had been visiting the library earlier than making off with the artworks on foot.

They reportedly entered the library by the primary entrance at 10:00 (13:00 GMT) on Sunday, and left by the identical route, heading in direction of the closest metro station.

The heist comes lower than two months after the artwork world was rocked by a brazen break-in on the Louvre museum in Paris, the place thieves made off with priceless jewels.

The engravings stolen from Biblioteca Mário de Andrade on Sunday fashioned a part of a joint exhibition with the São Paulo Museum of Trendy Artwork.

The thieves focused the exhibition, entitled From E-book to Museum, on its ultimate day.

Bibilioteca Mário de Andrade is the nation's second largest library and officers say that its constructing within the centre of São Paulo had cameras with facial recognition expertise.

Police mentioned that they had managed to establish one of many two suspects and had been engaged on figuring out the second.

In addition they introduced that that they had situated their getaway automotive.

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/d6ee/live/8619fe80-d42e-11f0-a892-01d657345866.png.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/d6ee/live/8619fe80-d42e-11f0-a892-01d657345866.png.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/d6ee/live/8619fe80-d42e-11f0-a892-01d657345866.png.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/d6ee/live/8619fe80-d42e-11f0-a892-01d657345866.png.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/d6ee/live/8619fe80-d42e-11f0-a892-01d657345866.png.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/d6ee/live/8619fe80-d42e-11f0-a892-01d657345866.png.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/d6ee/live/8619fe80-d42e-11f0-a892-01d657345866.png.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/d6ee/live/8619fe80-d42e-11f0-a892-01d657345866.png.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Map showing the location of the library, and some streets away, the location where one of the suspects was spotted. The aerial image shows a built-up area with many high-rise buildings. " class="sc-5340b511-0 hLdNfA"/> Officers haven't but launched an in depth checklist of the stolen works, however in accordance with Folha de São Paulo newspaper, a collage Matisse made for the limited-edition artwork ebook Jazz is amongst these taken.

Matisse is extensively thought of to be one of many twentieth Century's most influential artists and artwork critics say the worth of the stolen works is "incalculable".

The thieves additionally took a minimum of 5 engravings by Portinari, created for instance a particular version of the novel Menino de engheno (Plantation Boy) by Brazilian author José Lins do Rego.