Police in São Paulo recovered eight Matisse illustrations that had been stolen from the Mario de Andrade Library in December last year.
The artworks, worth an estimated US$200,000, were found Thursday at a house in São Bernardo do Campo after a 44‑year‑old suspect was taken into custody.
During the heist, a group of four thieves forced a security guard and an elderly couple to leave and took the pieces on the main entrance. Three other people were previously arrested for the incident.
The recovered works include eight illustrations made for the limited‑edition book Jazz, created by Henri Matisse. Five engravings by Cândido Portinari, part of a sing‑up project, were also taken but remain missing.
João Paulo Linhares de Araujo, who was caught at the scene, is suspected of storing the artworks for those believed to have orchestrated the theft, according to Brazilian news outlet Globo. Laéssio Rodrigues de Oliveira, a prolific art thief, is thought to have planned the robbery.
The exhibition, titled From Book to Museum, closed on its final day and the artworks were transported to the nearest metro station by the thieves. The library has improved its security system and the Matisse pieces have been returned to their rightful place.
