The ‌prints, valued at more than 1 million reais ($193,000), were found in an apartment in the downtown area of Sao Bernardo do ​Campo, part of the Sao Paulo metropolitan area, ​according to a police statement.

The recovery is a key ⁠development in a months-long investigation that began after ​two people entered Sao Paulo's Mario de Andrade Library in ​December 2025, restrained a security guard and an elderly couple, and stole paintings and documents, according to police.

Police said the alleged mastermind ​of the heist of 13 paintings was arrested in ​April in relation to a separate investigation involving art theft. They ‌also ⁠arrested a man at the residence where the paintings were found. Investigators said the suspect was holding the pieces on behalf of the alleged mastermind.

Five other stolen works ​by renowned Brazilian ​artist Candido ⁠Portinari remain missing and are believed to have been sold.

A Matisse painting was among ​three stolen paintings recovered in an operation in ​Italy this ⁠week, officials there said on Friday.

Known for his use of vivid colors and focus on emotion over realism, Matisse ⁠is ​regarded as one of the most ​influential painters of the 20th century.

($1 = 5.1801 reais)