National Academy of Art

At a glance

Source: Wikipedia: National Academy of Art; Wikipedia (Bulgarian): Национална художествена академия; Official website: National Academy of Art^1,2,3

History

The academy was established in Sofia on 14 October 1896 as the State Drawing School. Its creation was prepared by public figures including Konstantin Velichkov, Ivan Mrkvička, Anton Mitov and Ivan Shishmanov. The first teachers included Mrkvička, who taught painting and directed the school, Mitov, who taught art history, and sculptor Boris Schatz.²

The institution changed its name and status over time: it became the School of Arts and Industry in 1909, the Academy of Art in 1921, and the Higher Institute of Fine Arts “Nikolay Pavlovich” in 1951. It took the name National Academy of Art in 1995. Its building at 1 Shipka Street was completed in 1907 to a design by Russian architect Alexander Smirnov.²

Faculties and programmes

The academy is organised into two faculties:²

• Faculty of Fine Arts
• Faculty of Applied Arts and Design

Source: Wikipedia (Bulgarian): Национална художествена академия²

Fields of study include painting, mural painting, sculpture, printmaking, book and print graphics, poster and visual communication, art history, carving, ceramics, stage design, textiles, industrial and advertising design, fashion, restoration, digital arts and photography. Bachelor’s programmes generally take four academic years; master’s programmes generally take one and a half academic years. Restoration is offered as a five-year master’s programme.²

Students and academic activity

The academy lists 1,165 students. Its student body includes 130 international students, and the institution has 35 doctoral candidates. Professor Georgi Yankov was elected rector in January 2020. The academy publishes Art and Criticism, described in the Bulgarian-language account as a specialist journal on contemporary Bulgarian art.^1,2

Locations

The academy’s main location is in Sofia. In 2018 it established a branch in Burgas, housed in Magazia 1 in the freely accessible area of the port. The Burgas branch offers studies including painting, mural painting, printmaking, book and print graphics, poster and visual communication, advertising design and fashion, as well as a master’s programme in art therapy.²