Thieves stole two oil paintings by Pablo Picasso and Brazilian painter Candido Portinari from Sao Paulo's leading art museum, a museum spokeswoman said.

icasso's 1904 work "Portait of Suzanne Bloch" and Portinari's 1939 "The Coffee Worker," which depicts at laborer at a 19th century Brazilian coffee plantation, were among the Art Museum of Sao Paulo's most important exhibits.

The museum's collection is considered the most simportant in Latin America, featuring works from such European masters as Velazquez and Rubens through to modern artists such as Dali and Modigliani, as well as many Brazilians.