The theft of engravings by Henri Matisse and works by Candido Portinari from the Mário de Andrade library this Sunday had repercussions in the international press. The artworks were seized by gunmen, who captured security guards and an elderly couple.
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“This theft comes less than two months after the art world was shaken by a break-in at the Louvre Museum in Paris, where thieves stole priceless jewels,” described the British television channel BBC.
The American newspaper The New York Times also reported art thefts. “One of the Matisse pieces on display at the exhibition was a copy of “Jazz,” a book of prints and calligraphy that includes 20 colorful stencilled images of a circus, a cowboy and various animals, according to the exhibition catalog,” published the American media outlet.
“Attention has been drawn to the ease with which criminals managed to enter Brazil’s second largest library and steal valuable works,” writes the Argentinian newspaper Clarin. The French newspaper Le Monde called Matisse “one of the masters of the 20th century” and recalled that in October, sixty drawings by the artist were sold for $2.5 million at auction at Christie’s.
“The prints were exhibited as part of the exhibition “From Book to Museum”, a joint project between the library and the Museum of Modern Art of São Paulo (MAM)”, publishes Le Monde.
To prevent the coins from leaving the country, the city of São Paulo contacted Interpol, through the federal police. The 1st Specialized Center for the Repression of Crimes and Miscellaneous Events (Headquarters) indicated, in a press release, that it was investigating this matter. The car used in the escape was seized and sent for forensic examination.
Eight engravings by Henri Matisse and five by Candido Portinari, from the “Menino de Engenho” series, were taken during the robbery. The works were part of the exhibition From Book to Museum: MAM São Paulo and the Mário de Andrade Library. The value of the stolen collection has not been disclosed.
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