Matisse artworks have been stolen from a library in São Paulo, Brazilian officials say

A work by French artist Henri Matisse was among 13 pieces of art that were removed from a public library in Brazil over the weekend, local authorities said.

Two armed thieves entered the Mário de Andrade Library in Downtown São Paulo on Sunday and reportedly robbed security guards and an elderly couple visiting the library, CBS News’ BBC News reported. One of the suspects was arrested, officials said Monday.

Eight works of art by Matisse were taken in the heist, along with five pieces by Brazilian artist Candido Portinari.

The authorities did not reveal the titles or value of the stolen pieces of matisse, but the five cracks by Portinari were illustrations from the 1959 Book “Menino de Engenho” (“Plantation Boy Engetho” (“Plantation Boy”), according to São Paulo City Hall. It was not immediately clear if any of the stolen work was recovered by the arrest of the suspect.

The artworks were part of a joint exhibition with the São Paulo Museum of Modern Art that highlighted rare books and how creativity is made in Brazil. The show opened in October and its last day was Sunday, according to the website that showed it.

Works by matisse, the high figure of modern art of the 20th century, can sell for millions of dollars. A series of about 60 of his paintings sold for more than $.5 million at a Christie’s auction in October, according to Artnet’s Special Site.

The record price of the matisse was $80.8 million in 2018 for “Odalisque Couchée Aux Magnolias.”

Police said investigators were able to identify one of the two suspects, the BBC reported. That suspect was arrested later Monday, officials said.

The man was arrested in Central São Paolo after it was “identified following investigative work and the analysis of security cameras that recorded a criminal act on Sunday,” the Brazilian state government said in a statement.

Earlier on Monday, the police said they found a car belonging to the robbers. The Department of Security in São Paulo also said that the investigation is continuing to identify the second suspect.

Brazilian News Site G1 released a video showing one of the thieves carrying several of the paintings across a wide street on a broad day, leaving them against the side wall of a garbage dump and running away.

The Art Heist comes almost two months after a group of thieves committed a burglary Louvre Museum in Parisstealing jewelry worth about $100 million within minutes.

A renewed focus on security protocols in museums around the world.