The Art Newspaper

‘No One Was Really Interested in Finding Those Works’: Major Brazilian Art Theft Still Unsolved as Statute of Limitations Expires

Two decades after a daring heist at Rio de Janeiro's Museu da Chácara do Céu, Brazil's statute of limitations has expired, shielding the thieves of five high‑profile works from prison. The stolen pieces include Monet's *Marine*, Matisse's *Le Jardin du Luxembourg*, Dalí's *Les Deux Balcons* and Picasso's *La Danse*, valued at over $10 million then and roughly $16 million today. Investigators never identified the culprits, and the paintings remain listed in Interpol and Art Loss Register databases. The case highlights systemic failures in protecting Brazil's cultural heritage.