Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze

Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze, a privately owned institution headquartered in Italy, was founded in 1563 and operates with approximately 160 employees. Functioning as the oldest public institution for artistic training, it was reorganized in 1784 by Grand Duke Pietro Leopoldo I di Lorena and separated from the Accademia delle Arti del Disegno. Today, it is part of the Afam-Alta Formazione artistica, musicale e coreutica compartment of the Ministry of Education, University and Research, offering first and second level courses and Master's degrees. With approximately 1400 enrolled students, the Accademia combines teaching activities with artistic production and research, including student exhibitions, reviews, cultural and performative events, publications, and conference organization. Enrolled students are eligible for study initiatives such as scholarships, accommodation, and canteen services, and can undertake internships and traineeships with partner entities. They can also spend study and research periods abroad at partner faculties through the Erasmus+ program and other international mobility programs. Integral components of the Accademia include the Scuola Libera del Nudo, which provides drawing lessons using live models for enthusiasts of human figure study, and an extensive artistic-cultural heritage. This heritage encompasses a collection of plaster casts and statues, a 19th-century library, and a historical archive preserving Galilean manuscripts, a drawing collection initiated in 1924 by Felice Carena, and valuable documents like a series of Napoleonic-era files.