8 Matisse works stolen in São Paulo library heist

Two armed men have stolen eight engravings by French artist Matisse and at least another five by Brazilian painter Cândido Portinari from a library in São Paulo, the BBC writes.

Brazilian officials say the thieves held up a security guard and an elderly couple who were visiting the library before making off with the artworks on foot.

They reportedly entered the library by the main entrance at 10:00 (13:00 GMT) on Sunday, and left by the same route, heading toward the nearest metro station.

The heist comes less than two months after the art world was rocked by a brazen break-in at the Louvre museum in Paris, where thieves made off with priceless jewels.

Bibilioteca Mário de Andrade is the country’s second largest library and officials say that its building in the center of São Paulo had cameras with facial recognition technology.

Matisse is widely considered to be one of the 20th Century’s most influential artists and art critics say the value of the stolen works is “incalculable”.

Portinari, who often painted rural workers and laborers, is one of the most significant Brazilian Modernist artists.