June 12 (Bloomberg) -- Two Pablo Picasso prints were stolen from Sao Paulo's Pinacoteca do Estado museum today, in the second heist of the Spanish master's art in the city in six months, the museum said in a statement.

A print from Picasso's 1963-1965 ``The Artist and His Model'' series and his 1933 print ``Minotaur, Drinker and Women'' were taken, said Carla Regina Oliveira, a spokeswoman for the museum. A painting by Brazilian artist Di Cavalcanti and another by Lithuanian-born Brazilian painter Lasar Segall were also taken.

The four pieces are estimated to be worth a combined 1 million reais ($611,000), Oliveira said.

On Dec. 20, thieves swiped art valued at $55 million, including Picasso's ``Portrait of Suzanne Bloch,'' a painting from his Blue Period, from the Sao Paulo Museum of Art. Police recovered the Picasso painting on Jan. 8.

In today's heist, three robbers bearing guns took the paintings around noon local time, said Ana Catarina Flaquer, a spokeswoman for the Sao Paulo state police department.

O Estado de S. Paulo's news service said the robbers wore masks and were caught on surveillance cameras.

Pinacoteca, the city's oldest art museum, opened in 1905.

The museum's collection, initially a series of paintings by colonial artists belonging to the state of Sao Paulo, grew with donations from wealthy coffee barons and industrialists. Today, Pinacoteca houses works ranging from 18th century Brazilian art to contemporary pieces.

To contact the reporter on this story: Carlos Caminada in Sao Paulo at at ccaminada1@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: June 12, 2008 16:03 EDT