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Paris Musées Releases 100,000 Images of Artworks for Unrestricted Public Use

「Setting Sun on the Seine at Lavacourt」 by Claude Monet (1880), oil on canvas, part of the collection at Petit Palais, Paris

This week the Paris Musées added 100,000 digital copies of its artworks to the public domain, making them free and unrestricted for the public to download and use. From Claude Monet』s 「Setting Sun on the Seine at Lavacourt」 to Paul Cézanne』s 「Portrait of Ambroise Vollard,」 the collection contains work from artists, such as Gustave Courbet, Victor Hugo, and Rembrandt, that are housed at 14 museums in Paris like the Musée d』Art Moderne, Petit Palais, and even the catacombs.

Each file contains the high-resolution image, a description about the piece, and the location of the original work, in addition to an exhibition history and citation tips. Most of the images available right now capture 2D works, although there are lower resolution files available of pieces that are not yet in the public domain, providing visitors to the site a chance to view more of the museums』 collections. The site also offers virtual exhibitions, with a project centered on the collections at Maison de Victor Hugo currently on view. (via Hyperallergic)

「Portrait of Juliette Courbet」 by Gustave Courbet (1844), oil on canvas, part of the collection at Petit Palais

「Portrait of Ambroise Vollard」 by Paul Cézanne (1899), oil on canvas, part of the collection at Petit Palais, Paris

「Julia Jackson from the front 『Stella』」 by Julia Margaret Cameron (1867), photograph printed on albumen paper, part of the collection at Maison de Victor Hugo

「Presentation in the Temple」 by Jacques Daret (1434-1435), oil on wood, part of the collection at Petit Palais, Paris

Bronze medal of Jean-Jacques Rousseau (19th century), part of the collection at Musée Carnavalet

「Portrait of Mr. Victor Hugo」 by Léon Bonnat (1879), oil on canvas, part of the collection at Maison de Victor Hugo

「Thirty-seven portraits of Voltaire」 by Dominique Vivant-Denon (1775), print, part of the collection at Musée Carnavalet