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The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna () is a public
art school An art school is an educational institution with a primary focus on practice and related theory in the visual arts and design. This includes fine art – especially illustration, painting, contemporary art, sculpture, and graphic design. T ...
in
Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
, Austria. Founded in 1688 as a private academy, it is now a public university. The academy is also known for twice rejecting admission to a young
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
in 1907 and 1908.


History

The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna was founded in 1688 as a private academy modelled on the
Accademia di San Luca The Accademia di San Luca () is an Italian academy of artists in Rome. The establishment of the Accademia de i Pittori e Scultori di Roma was approved by papal brief in 1577, and in 1593 Federico Zuccari became its first ''principe'' or director; ...
and the Parisien
Académie de peinture et de sculpture An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the g ...
by the court-painter Peter Strudel, who became the ''Praefectus Academiae Nostrae''. In 1701, he was ennobled by Emperor Joseph I as ''
Freiherr (; male, abbreviated as ), (; his wife, abbreviated as , ) and (, his unmarried daughters and maiden aunts) are designations used as titles of nobility in the German-speaking areas of the Holy Roman Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire and in ...
'' (Baron) of the
Empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...
. With his death in 1714, the academy temporarily closed. On 20 January 1725, Emperor Charles VI appointed the Frenchman Jacob van Schuppen as Prefect and Director of the academy, which was refounded as the ''k.k. Hofakademie der Maler, Bildhauer und Baukunst'' (Imperial and Royal Court Academy of painters, sculptors and architecture). Upon Charles's death in 1740, the academy at first declined, however during the rule of his daughter Empress
Maria Theresa Maria Theresa (Maria Theresia Walburga Amalia Christina; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was the ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position suo jure, in her own right. She was the ...
, a new statute reformed the academy in 1751. The prestige of the academy grew during the deanships of Michelangelo Unterberger and
Paul Troger Paul Troger (30 October 1698 – 20 July 1762) was an Austrian painter, draughtsman, and printmaker of the late Baroque period. Troger's illusionistic ceiling paintings in fresco are notable for their dramatic vitality of movement and their pale ...
, and in 1767 the archduchesses Maria Anna and
Maria Carolina Maria Carolina or Marie Caroline may refer to: Royalty * Maria Karolina Sobieska (1697–1740), Princess of Turenne and Duchess of Bouillon * Archduchess Maria Carolina of Austria (born 1740) (1740–1741), daughter of Empress Maria Theresa and E ...
were made the first Honorary Members. In 1772, there were further reforms to the organisational structure. In 1776, the engraver Jakob Matthias Schmutzer founded a school of engraving. This Imperial-Royal Academy of Engraving in the Annagasse soon competed with the Court Academy. Chancellor Wenzel Anton Kaunitz integrated all existing art academies into the ''k.k. vereinigten Akademie der bildenden Künste'' (Imperial and Royal Unified Academy of Fine Arts). The word "vereinigten" (unified) was later dropped. In 1822 the art cabinet grew significantly with the bequest of honorary member
Anton Franz de Paula Graf Lamberg-Sprinzenstein Anton Franz de Paula Graf Lamberg-Sprinzenstein (1740 – 1822) was an Austrian diplomat and art collector. Early life Anton Frazn was born in Vienna as the eldest son of Count Franz de Paula Anton Flavius von Lamberg-Sprinzenstein (1707-1765) ...
. His collection still forms the backbone of the art on display. In 1872, Emperor
Franz Joseph I of Austria Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I ( ; ; 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the ruler of the Grand title of the emperor of Austria, other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 1848 until his death ...
approved a statute making the academy the supreme government authority for the arts. A new building was constructed according to plans designed by
Theophil Hansen Baron Theophil Edvard von Hansen (; original Danish name: Theophilus Hansen, ; 13 July 1813 – 17 February 1891) was a Danish architect who later became an Austrian citizen. He became particularly well known for his buildings and structures in ...
in the course of the layout of the
Ringstraße The Ringstrasse or Ringstraße (pronounced Help:IPA/Standard German, ɪŋˌʃtʁaːsə:File:De-Ringstraße.ogg, ⓘ, lit. ''ring road'') is a 5.3 km (3.3 mi) circular grand boulevard that serves as a ring road around the historic city centre, ...
boulevard. On 3 April 1877, the present-day building on Schillerplatz in the
Innere Stadt The Innere Stadt (; ; "Inner City") is the 1st municipal Districts of Vienna, district of Vienna () located in the center of the Austrian capital. The Innere Stadt is the old town of Vienna. Until the city boundaries were expanded in 1850, the I ...
district was inaugurated, the interior works, including ceiling frescos by
Anselm Feuerbach Anselm Feuerbach (12 September 1829 – 4 January 1880) was a German Painting, painter. He was the leading neoclassicism, neoclassical painter of the German 19th-century school. Biography Early life Feuerbach was born at Speyer, the son of ...
, continued until 1892. In 1907 and 1908, young
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
, who had come from
Linz Linz (Pronunciation: , ; ) is the capital of Upper Austria and List of cities and towns in Austria, third-largest city in Austria. Located on the river Danube, the city is in the far north of Austria, south of the border with the Czech Repub ...
, was twice denied admission to the drawing class by academy professor
Christian Griepenkerl Christian Griepenkerl (17 March 1839 – 22 March 1916) was a German painter and professor, best known for rejecting Adolf Hitler's application to train at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. Biography Griepenkerl was born to one of Oldenburg (cit ...
. He stayed in Vienna, subsisting on his orphan allowance, and tried unsuccessfully to continue his profession as an artist. Soon he had withdrawn into poverty and started selling amateur paintings, mostly watercolours, for meagre sustenance until he left Vienna for
Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
in May 1913 (see also,
Paintings by Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler, the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until his suicide in 1945, was a painter in his youth. While living in Vienna between 1908 and 1913, Hitler worked as a professional artist and produced hundreds of works, to little commercia ...
). During the Austrian ''
Anschluss The (, or , ), also known as the (, ), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into Nazi Germany on 12 March 1938. The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a "German Question, Greater Germany") arose after t ...
'' to
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
from 1938 to 1945, the academy, like other Austrian universities, was forced to purge its staff and student body of Jews and others who fell under the purview of the racially discriminatory
Nuremberg Laws The Nuremberg Laws (, ) were antisemitic and racist laws that were enacted in Nazi Germany on 15 September 1935, at a special meeting of the Reichstag convened during the annual Nuremberg Rally of the Nazi Party. The two laws were the Law ...
. After
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the academy was reconstituted in 1955 and its autonomy reconfirmed. Eduard von Josch, the secretary of the academy, was dismissed for being a member of the NSDAP. The academy has had university status since 1998, but retained its original name. It is currently the only Austrian university without the word "university" in its name.


Structure

The academy is divided into the following institutes: * ''Institute for Fine Arts'', which houses thirteen departments: Abstract Painting; Art and Digital Media; Art and Photography; Arts and Research; Conceptual Art; Contextual Painting; Expanded Pictorial Space; Figurative Painting; Graphic Arts and Printmaking Techniques; Object Sculpture; Performative Art – Sculpture; Video and Video-installation; Textual Sculpture * ''Institute for Art Theory and Cultural Studies'' (art theory, philosophy, history); * ''Institute for Conservation and Restoration''; * ''Institute for Natural Sciences and Technologies in Art''; * ''Institute for Secondary School Teaching Degrees'' (craft, design, textile arts); * ''Institute for Art and Architecture''. The academy currently has about 900 students, almost a quarter of which are foreign students. Its faculty includes "stars" such as
Peter Sloterdijk Peter Sloterdijk (; ; born 26 June 1947) is a German philosopher and cultural theorist. He was a professor of philosophy and media theory at and Rector from 2001 to 2015 of the University of Art and Design Karlsruhe. He co-hosted the German tel ...
. Its library houses about 110,000 volumes and its "etching cabinet" (''Kupferstichkabinett'') has about 150,000 drawings and prints. The collection is one of the biggest in Austria, and is used for academic purposes, although portions are also open to the general public.


Notable alumni

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


Other students and professors

* Karl Aigen (1684–1762), student, director and professor * Oz Almog, (born 1956) *
Alois Arnegger Alois Arnegger (March 9, 1879 – August 11, 1967) was an Austrian painter. Arnegger was born in Vienna. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna and was taught by Robert Russ and August Eisenmenger. Alois Arnegger became famous as a scen ...
(1879–1963) * Joannis Avramidis (1922–2016) * Peter Behrens (1868–1940) * Sabeth Buchmann (born 1962) * Menci Clement Crnčić (1865–1930) * Konstantin Danil (1802–1873) * Saeed Danosian (1979–1985) * Diedrich Diederichsen (born 1957) * Andrea Maria Dusl (born 1961) * Thomas Ender (1793–1875) * Harun Farocki (1944–2014) *
Anselm Feuerbach Anselm Feuerbach (12 September 1829 – 4 January 1880) was a German Painting, painter. He was the leading neoclassicism, neoclassical painter of the German 19th-century school. Biography Early life Feuerbach was born at Speyer, the son of ...
(1829–1880), professor (1873) * Emil Fuchs (1866–1929) * Ernst Fuchs (1930–2015) * Peter Johann Nepomuk Geiger (1805–1880), professor * Richard Gerstl (1883–1908) * Edwin Grienauer (1893–1964) * Gottfried Helnwein (born 1948) * F. Scott Hess (born 1955) *
Clemens Holzmeister Clemens Holzmeister (27 March 1886 – 12 June 1983) was a prominent Austrian architect and stage designer of the early twentieth century. The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, Austrian Academy of Fine Arts listed his life's work as containing 673 pro ...
(1886–1983) *
Friedensreich Hundertwasser Friedrich Stowasser (15 December 1928 – 19 February 2000), better known by his pseudonym Friedensreich Regentag Dunkelbunt Hundertwasser (), was an Austrian visual artist and architect who also worked in the field of environmental protection ...
(1928–2000) * * Greta Kempton (1901–1991) *
Anton Lehmden Anton Lehmden (2 January 1929 – 7 August 2018) was an Austrian painter, draughtsman, and printmaker. Lehmden was a co-founder, together with Ernst Fuchs, Maître Leherb (Helmut Leherb), Rudolf Hausner, Arik Brauer, Fritz Janschka and Wo ...
(1929–2018) * Maximilian Liebenwein (1869–1926) * Leopold Matzal (1890–1956) * Franz Anton Maulbertsch (1724–1796) * Ludwig Merwart (1913–1979) * Joseph Mössmer (1780–1845) *
Caspar Neher Caspar Neher (born Rudolf Ludwig Caspar Neher; 11 April 1897 – 30 June 1962) was an Austrian-German scenographer and Libretto, librettist, known principally for his career-long working relationship with Bertolt Brecht. Neher was born in Augs ...
(1897–1962) * Gustav Peichl (1928–2019) * Elmar Peintner (born 1954) * August von Pettenkofen (1822–1889) * Johann Georg Platzer (1704–1761) * Roland Rainer (1910–2004) * Daniel Richter (born 1962) * Rudolph Schwarz (1840–1912) * Robert Sedlacek (1881–1957) * Nasrine Seraji (born 1957) * Tamuna Sirbiladze (1971–2016) *
Hito Steyerl Hito Steyerl (born 1 January 1966) is a German filmmaker, moving image visual artist, artist, writer, and innovator of the essay documentary.Paul Troger Paul Troger (30 October 1698 – 20 July 1762) was an Austrian painter, draughtsman, and printmaker of the late Baroque period. Troger's illusionistic ceiling paintings in fresco are notable for their dramatic vitality of movement and their pale ...
(1698–1762) * Norbert Troller (1900–1984)) * Rudolf von Alt (1812–1905) * Friedrich von Schmidt (1825–1891) * Henrik Weber (1818–1866) * Kurt Weiss (1895–1966) * Albert Zimmermann (1808–1888) * Timo Penttilä (1931–2011) * Herbert Smagon (1927–2007) * Jan Styka (1858–1925)


In fiction

The Academy of Fine Arts in 1908 is the scene of the early chapters of the 2001
alternative history Alternate history (also referred to as alternative history, allohistory, althist, or simply A.H.) is a subgenre of speculative fiction in which one or more historical events have occurred but are resolved differently than in actual history. As ...
novel ''The Alternative Hypothesis'' ("
La part de l'autre La Part de l'autre ("The Part of The Other", also called "The Alternative Hypothesis") is a 2001 alternate history novel by Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt, the plot serving to illustrate the writer's ideas of Moral Philosophy. It consists of a fictionali ...
") by Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt. It is based on the assumption that had the young
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
been accepted he might have become a recognized painter and never entered politics, and never become the dictator of
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
. The dramatic tension in the book's plot develops from the academy staff, deliberating whether or not to admit Hitler, thinking of it as an unimportant matter concerning a single unknown student – while the readers are aware that in fact, they are deciding the future of the entire world.


References


External links

*
Exhibition catalogues of Academy of Fine Arts in the Belvedere Digital Library

website of the Media Server
(archived 8 September 2005)

(archived 17 January 2005) {{coord, 48, 12, 05, N, 16, 21, 55, E, region:AT_type:landmark, display=title Universities and colleges in Austria Art schools in Austria Culture in Vienna 1692 establishments in the Habsburg monarchy 17th-century establishments in Austria Educational institutions established in the 1690s Buildings and structures in Vienna Art museums and galleries in Vienna 1692 in art Theophil Hansen buildings