São Paulo Police Recover Eight Matisse Prints Stolen from Mário de Andrade Library

On February 13, the Civil Police of São Paulo successfully recovered eight prints by Henri Matisse, which had been stolen during a robbery at the Mário de Andrade Library on December 7, 2025, with a total value exceeding R$ 1 million. These prints were located in São Bernardo do Campo, while five prints by Candido Portinari from the same theft are still unaccounted for. Authorities arrested an individual for possession of stolen property and confiscated a firearm during the operation, which was conducted by the 1st Specialized Center for Repression of Crimes. Laéssio Rodrigues de Oliveira, the alleged ringleader, was already in custody for other thefts, alongside suspects Carlos Leandro Ferreira da Silva and Regiane Rodrigues da Silva. The Mário de Andrade Library, the second-largest in Brazil, contains approximately 327,000 books.