Brazil police ID suspect in Matisse theft

Two armed men stole eight prints by French artist Henri Matisse and at least five more by Brazilian painter Candide Portinari from a library in Sao Paulo.

Thieves captured a security guard and an elderly couple who were visiting the library and made off with the artwork, local authorities say.
It is believed they entered the library through the main entrance at 10am on Sunday 7th December and exited the same way, then walked towards the nearest metro station.

The robbery occurred less than two months after the world was shocked by the break-in at the Louvre Museum in Paris, where thieves made off with priceless jewelry.

The prints were displayed as part of the exhibition "From Book to Museum", which was organized in collaboration with the library and the Museum of Modern Art of São Paulo.

The Mario de Andrade Library is the second largest in the country, and officials say its building in downtown Sao Paulo has cameras with facial recognition technology.

The thieves have already been identified, but are currently on the run, the mayor of Sao Paulo told local media.

Officials have not yet released a detailed list of the stolen works, but local media reports say a collage Matisse made for a limited edition art book was among the stolen works. Jazz.

Matisse is considered one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, and art critics say the value of the stolen works is "priceless."

The thieves also stole at least five Portinari prints, made to illustrate a special edition of the novel. The plantation boy by Brazilian writer José Lins do Rego.

Portinari, who often painted rural people working and day laborers, is one of the most important Brazilian modernist artists.