It is with deep regret and profound sadness that we announce the passing away of Erik Löffler, Curator of Dutch and Flemish Old Master Drawings and Prints at the RKD (Netherlands Institute for Art History). The RKD has announced today that Erik died suddenly on Saturday, 28 May 2016.

Erik has been an active CODART member since 2007. From 2011-2015, he has been a member of the editorial board of the CODART eZine and the initiator of the special issue on drawings.

He will be greatly missed and fondly remembered by many. Our deepest condolences go out to to his wife, son and other relatives.

From the RKD press release, 30 May 2016

It is with great sadness and a sense of shock that we announce the unexpected death, on Saturday 28 May, of our highly esteemed colleague Erik Löffler, Curator of Prints and Drawings. It is hard to imagine how we will manage without this talented, friendly, able, humorous and inspiring colleague who was always such a passionate ambassador for the RKD.

Erik studied cultural history at Utrecht University, and afterwards undertook a three-year training at the École des Antiquaires in Brussels. From 1997 he worked at the RKD, specialising in northern and southern Netherlandish prints and drawings before 1800. He was also responsible for documentation of sculpture, tapestries and stained glass of the same period, and was really dedicated to the publication of research data through the online databases of the RKD. Erik was tireless in promoting the RKD. He was fluent in several languages, and maintained an extensive international network; he was always putting people in touch with one another, gave enthusiastic group tours of the RKD and was every year to be seen at the TEFAF, helping visitors with both practical and art-historical queries.

We will be working on a way of remembering Erik, and more information will be given about this at a later date. If you have memories of a distinguished colleague with a very special personality that you would like to pass on now, then these can be sent to RKD’s postal address or electronically to inmemoriamerik@rkd.nl The RKD will see to it that all contributions about Erik will be passed on to his friends and family.

On behalf of the staff of the RKD,
Chris Stolwijk
Director

RKD – Netherlands Institute for Art History
For the attention of the RKD Administrative Office
Prins Willem Alexanderhof 5
2595 BE The Hague