The Musée du Louvre has published a French-language catalogue raisonné of its collection of paintings by Anthony van Dyck in four simultaneous formats: a print book, an online book (web-based), an e-book (ePub) and a PDF; the three digital formats are all available free of charge.

Published by Blaise Ducos, Chief Curator of the Louvre’s Department of Paintings, the catalogue paints the picture of a genius, whose rigor – even artistic asceticism – and brilliance can be detected in every canvas. Readers will find a detailed study of the master’s paintings on view at the museum in Paris. A number of comparative illustrations, showing the scope of Van Dyck’s visual culture, provide insight into the art of a painter active in Flanders, Italy and England.

Publishing in multiple formats confirms the museum’s desire to provide free, unlimited and immediate access to research by its teams. The challenge of producing a paperless art book promotes the development of more advanced zoom and image manipulation features, allowing art history research publications to be used to their full potential.

The publication contains two essays: Anthony van Dyck. The Louvre’s collection, through the courts of Europe and Acquisition periods of Van Dyck’s paintings. The 34 descriptive entries on paintings by (or after) Van Dyck at the Louvre are supplemented by a bibliography and three indexes (artworks by Van Dyck, people, places).

The online edition, e-book and PDF are available for three on livres.louvre.fr/vandyck. The print edition (paperback, 352 pp., 220 ills., ISBN 978-2-35031-761-8) is printed and distributed by Ciaco (Louvain-la-Neuve and Brussels).