The idea of establishing an art academy in Prague first emerged during the High Baroque when, in 1709 – 11, a group of Prague’s artists strove in vain to start the school. It was, however, not until the end of the century when, under the prevailing atmosphere of enlightened support of art and education in 1796 that the Society of Patriotic Friends of Art was constituted. They first founded the Picture Gallery with the School of Copyists (from which The National Gallery developed later on), and shortly thereafter The Drawing Academy. This institution was established by Imperial Decree, issued on the 10th of September 1799. It then started its activities in 1800, making it the oldest art school in the Czech lands. Soon after, the School of Landscape Painting and The Printmaking Workshop were added, extending the scope of instruction at the Academy. During the second half of the century, lectures in humanities and, temporarily, even training in architecture, enriched the course of studies on offer. A crucial reform of the Academy was undertaken thanks to Julius Mařák who enlarged the teaching staff with personalities such as Vojtěch Hynais and Václav Brožík, established the School of Sculpture run by Josef Myslbek, and finally, in 1896, achieved the nationalization of the Academy. In 1910, The School of Printmaking of Max Švabinský and The School of Architecture of Jan Kotěra further enriched the range of educational possibilities. It was then, after years of provisional arrangements, that the Academy finally found its permanent home in a brand new building on Letná. It was built from 1897 – 1903 based on the design of architect Jaroslav Roštlapil. A complete reconstruction was carried out in 1998. The School of Architecture building was then erected from 1922 – 24, in close proximity to the main Academy building, using plans by Jan Kotěra and Josef Gočár. By 1892, and permanently since 1945, the Academy obtained for its purposes the premises called the Modern Gallery, built by architect Antonín Wiehl under the framework of the Jubilee Exhibition of 1891. The Academy was the first in Czechoslovakia to be granted accreditation as an Institution of the Higher Education in 1926. In 1945, Bohuslav Slanský founded the School of Restoration of Painted Artworks within the Academy.

Karel Postl, Antonín Mánes, Jan Preisler, Jan Štursa, František Kupka, Willi Novak, Vratislav Nechleba, Otakar Nejedlý, Otakar Španiel, Bohumil Kafka, F. T. Šimon, Antonín Matějček, V.V. Štech, Jaroslav Fragner, Vladimír Sychra, Vincenc Makovský, Jan Lauda, Karel Pokorný, Karel Hladík, František Cubr, Karel Spaček, Jiří John, Jan Smetana, and other leading Czech artists together with the aforementioned notable personalities served as faculty members. Among the Academy´s students were many of the influential artists who have shaped Czech art culture throughout the century. In the course of its development, the Academy, despite training that was of a rather conservative nature, has stood for values which rising generations of artists have used to define themselves. Periods of strong progress have alternated with phases of ideological dictatorship and a loss of contact with contemporary developments. A crucial reform, which originally fell short in 1968, was not achieved until 1990 when, under the direction of newly elected rector Milan Knížák, the whole conception, structure as well as teaching staff were changed.

The scope of the training program was extended and new studios, including: Intermedia, Conceptual, Installation-Sculpture, and Drawing, were established. At the same time, the presence of the classically oriented studios was consistently maintained and even strengthened. The new Academy was born from this wedding of totally opposing opinions, as well as the embrace of the widest range of artistic means possible. These new principles were put in practice by the new academic team of professors: Karel Malich, Stanislav Kolíbal, Hugo Demartini, Ladislav Čepelák, Bedřich Dlouhý. In 1990, the School of Restoration of Sculpture was founded, followed in 1991 by the newest addition, the School of New Media, oriented above all toward video-art and computer animation. Further changes came naturally following the replacement of the teaching staff, and with the newly formed studio of Monumental Sculpture, the studio of Visual Communication, and the Medal Section. At the same time, lectures in art history and the history of architecture became more oriented towards the problematics of contemporary creation; the teaching staff was supplemented with external teachers and tutors, and research centers in the fields of art history and the restoration of artwork were opened. Even today, the Academy continues to build its strategy and the conception of its development on the foundations laid following the reform in 1990.


According to the Act of Tertiary Education, the Academy functions as a state school of higher education as of January 1, 1999. It offers Master's and Doctoral study programs in the fields of art, new media, restoration of art works, and architecture, coupled with activities in the field of science and art. In a local as well as international context the Academy fulfills its role as a prestigious cultural institution, guarantees the advancement of the selected branches, and contributes to lifelong education and cultural development. As a prestigious and elite school, being also the youngest school of higher education in the Czech Republic, it provides the necessary conditions to foster creative growth among young individuals of exceptional talent. Along with art instruction carried out, above all, in the form of studio practice, the Academy simultaneously develops theoretical reflection on artistic creation through contact with contemporary trends. It seeks to encompass the whole spectrum of today’s art activities, and enable its students to look for themselves within the open structure of the school and among the various studios, disciplines and personalities. The Academy of Fine Arts fosters an open, plural and flexible inner structure based on the principles of independence and freedom of creativity stated in the self-government of the Academic Community.

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