History and Locations

The origins

The Academy originated from the “Accademia di San Luca”, founded at the end of the 16th century and became the papal centre for artistic studies. During that period, it was a prestigious meeting place for artists and, at the same time, an educational benchmark for similar institutions in the development stage.
With the unification of Italy and Rome as its capital, it became necessary to reform the arts education system to meet the needs of the young Italian state. A slow evolution follows, with teaching methods focusing on cultural research and professional skills linked to industrial and craft development becoming increasingly prevalent. The Academy was first known as “Regia Accademia di Belle Arti denominata di San Luca”, then as “Istituto di Belle Arti”, until taking its current name, “Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma”.
The historic complex that houses it in Via di Ripetta, traditionally called “Il ferro di cavallo” (the horseshoe), was built in the 1840s as a residential building and was adapted to become the Academy’s headquarters with the addition of rooms designed specifically for the Scuola Libera del Nudo.