Pablo Picasso’s Portrait of Suzanne Bloch (1904)

While on exhibit, paintings by Pablo Picasso and Brazilian painter Candido Portinari were stolen from the Sao Paolo Art Museum (MASP) in Brazil, which is actually the first major theft in their 60 years of operations.

These two paintings were actually among the important pieces in the museum, and the collection of artworks found there is considered to be the most important in Latin America. And these two are said to have a combined value of over 120 million US dollars.

Although there were three guards on duty, the incidence took place last thursday, from 5:09 am to 5:12 am (local time), which is just for about 3 minutes. Shots from the surveillance camera serve as evidence.

According to Administrative and Financial Superintendent of MASP, several artworks such as those by Picasso, Henri Matisse, Salvador Dali and Claude Monet were already taken from Chacara do Ceu Museum in Rio de Janeiro.

On the other hand, Portinari’s son believes he will be contacted anytime soon by the thieves for some negotiation.

Picasso is one of the most recognized figures in 20th century art, and is best known as the co-founder of cubism, while Portinario is considered as one of the most influential Brazilian painters and prominent practioner of neo-realism style of painting.

“O Lavrador de Cafe” (“The Coffee Farmer”) by Portinari (1939)