Matisse Jazz Prints Recovered in São Paulo, Portinari Engravings Still Missing

Brazilian authorities have successfully recovered eight prints from Henri Matisse's 1947 Jazz series, valued at around $190,000, from an apartment in a São Paulo suburb. These prints were taken during a daylight burglary at the Mário de Andrade Library in December, where thieves subdued a security guard and an elderly couple before escaping with the Matisse pieces and five engravings by Brazilian modernist Candido Portinari. While four suspects linked to the theft have been arrested, the Portinari engravings remain unaccounted for and are believed to have been sold on the black market. This incident highlights the ongoing challenges of recovering stolen art and the vulnerability of public collections to theft, especially as the Jazz series exemplifies Matisse's innovative cut-out technique.