Academy of Fine Arts

The Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb was founded in June 1907 as the Royal National Higher Education School for Arts and Crafts, with the Organizational Statute and the Scientific Basis with lectures at the Painting Department, the Sculpture Department and the Department for Candidate Drawing Teachers.

The first teachers were Robert Frangeš Mihanović, Rudolf Valdec, Robert Auer, Oton Iveković, Bela Čikos Sesija, Menci Clement Crnčić and Branko Šenoa.

The names of the institutions changed frequently. Since 1941, it has been officially called the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb. The seat of today's Academy is in significantly rebuilt and extended buildings at the initial location, in the yard and park Ilica 85. Classes are also held in the buildings at Jabukovac 10, Zamenhoffova 14, and in the building at Zagorska 16.

Since 1926, the Department of Architecture, headed by Drago Ibler, has been operating at the Academy for a short time. Over time, the Department for Candidate Drawing Teachers grew into the Teachers' Department, and in 1956 the Graphics Department was officially established. In 1997, the Department of Art Restoration (now the Department of Restoration and Conservation of Art) was established, and in 1998 the Department of Animated Film (now the Department of Animated Film and New Media), so that the Academy today has six departments and 365 students.

All study programs conducted in these departments are in line with the provisions of the Bologna Process. Numerous important artists and teachers worked at the Academy, so the history of the Academy of Fine Arts is largely the history of Croatian art of the twentieth century.