Armed thieves steal 13 million-dollar artworks from Brazilian library

In the latest incident of high-value artwork heist, 13 pieces of art were stolen by two armed thieves from a public library in Brazil over the weekend.

Local authorities said the armed robbers held up a security guard and a couple visiting the library, and stole the artwork belonging to famed French artist Henri Matisse and Brazilian modernist painter Candido Portinari.

One of the suspects was arrested on Monday; however, it remains unclear whether any of the stolen pieces have been recovered yet.

Police said that the suspect was identified after detailed analysis and investigation of the camera footage that captured the criminal act, adding, “he was arrested from central Sao Paulo."

According to the Sao Paulo city hall, Portinari’s five engravings taken by thieves were illustrations from the 1959 book Menino de Engenho. The titles or value of the French artist’s eight pieces have not been revealed by authorities.

The artwork had been on display in the library as part of its joint exhibit with Sao Paulo Museum of Modern Art which opened in October.

Matisse is one of the most renowned artists of the 20th century and his works are worth millions of dollars. Christie’s auction house sold a series of about 60 of his drawings for $2.5 million in October.