The National Academy of Art () is a public institution of higher education in Sofia, Bulgaria, specializing in fine arts, applied arts, design, conservation and restoration, and the history and theory of art. Founded in 1896 as the State School of Drawing, it is Bulgaria's oldest higher-education institution devoted to professional art training.
The academy is organized into the Faculty of Fine Arts and the Faculty of Applied Arts and Design and offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes.
History
The institution was founded as the State School of Drawing in 1896. Its establishment was associated with artists Anton Mitov, Ivan Mrkvička and Boris Schatz, and with writers and public figures Konstantin Velichkov and Ivan Shishmanov. The school opened in Sofia in October 1896 following a decree signed by Prince Ferdinand.
In 1911, the teaching staff submitted a development plan to the Ministry of Education proposing that the State School of Drawing be renamed the Academy of Art. The change was made in 1921 following a proposal by Minister of Education Stoyan Omarchevski. The institution later became the present National Academy of Art.
Academics and structure
The National Academy of Art has two faculties: the Faculty of Fine Arts and the Faculty of Applied Arts and Design. The faculties administer programmes leading to bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees. The academy educates nearly 1,000 Bulgarian and international students and doctoral candidates.
Its programmes cover disciplines including painting, sculpture, printmaking, mural painting, illustration and book design, poster and visual communication, industrial design, fashion, textiles, ceramics, scenography, metalwork, woodcarving, conservation and restoration, and art history and theory.
Notable alumni and students
The academy and its predecessor institutions have educated numerous prominent Bulgarian and international artists. The list includes both graduates and notable former students who studied at the institution without completing a degree there.
Name Field Academy education Year(s) Alexander Bozhinov Painting, illustration and caricature Member of the first class of the State School of Drawing. 1896 Andrey Nikolov Sculpture Member of the first class of the State School of Drawing. 1896 Shmuel Ben David Painting, illustration and design Studied art in Sofia under Boris Schatz before moving to Jerusalem in 1906. before 1906 Nikolai Rainov Painting, writing and art history Studied at the State School of Drawing. 1909–1911 Vladimir Dimitrov Painting Completed his diploma work at the State School of Drawing. 1910 Vera Nedkova Painting Studied in Nikola Marinov's painting course before continuing her education in Vienna. 1923–1924 Ivan Milev Painting and stage design Graduate of the Art Academy. — Ivan Nenov Painting, sculpture and ceramics Graduated from the Art Academy. 1925 Ilia Beshkov Painting, illustration and caricature Graduate of the Art Academy. 1926 Iliya Petrov Painting Studied at the State Academy of Arts and later became a professor at the institution. 1920s Dechko Uzunov Painting Graduate; later professor and rector of the Academy. 1920s Zlatyu Boyadzhiev Painting Graduated in painting from the Academy of Arts in Sofia. 1932 Stefan Kanchev Graphic design Studied mural painting under Dechko Uzunov. 1940–1945 Genko Genkov Painting Graduated in painting under Dechko Uzunov. 1948 Lyuben Zidarov Painting and illustration Graduated in painting from Iliya Petrov's class. 1948 Georgi Baev Painting Graduated from the National Academy of Art. 1949 Violeta Maslarova Painting Graduated in painting under Dechko Uzunov. 1950 Christo Installation art Studied at the Fine Arts Academy in Sofia; did not complete his studies there. 1953–1956 Mihail Simeonov Sculpture Graduated in monumental sculpture. 1954 Dionisii Donchev Painting Graduated in painting under Iliya Petrov. 1958 Svetlin Rusev Painting Graduate of the Art Academy; later director of the National Art Gallery. 1959 Nicola Ghiuselev Painting and opera Graduated in painting after six years of study. 1960 Ivan Vukadinov Painting Graduated in painting under Nenko Balkanski. 1961 Rumen Gasharov Painting Graduated from Iliya Petrov's painting class. 1962 Stefan Valev Painting, illustration and design Graduated in decorative-monumental painting, stained glass and mosaic under Georgi Bogdanov. 1964 Alzek Misheff Painting and performance art Studied painting at the Higher Institute of Fine Arts "Nikolai Pavlovich"; official sources give conflicting graduation years. — Keazim Isinov Painting Graduate of the Art Academy. — Atanas Yaranov Painting Graduate of the Art Academy. — Nikolay Maistorov Painting and graphic art Graduate of the Art Academy. — Lyubomir Savinov Visual art Graduate of the Art Academy. — Theodore Ushev Animation, film and visual art Graduate of the National Academy of Art. 1995 Krassimir Terziev Visual art and film Received an MA in painting. 1997 Svetlana Mircheva Visual art and design Studied industrial design and received an MA. 1995–2000 Yanko Tihov Painting and printmaking Studied fine arts and printmaking. 1997–2001
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