ABOUT THE ACADEMY
The Academy of Fine Arts of the University of Zagreb, founded in 1907, is Croatia’s leading institution for higher education in the visual arts and a place where tradition and innovation meet. For 120 years, the Academy has played a central role in shaping the artistic and cultural landscape of Croatia and the wider region, while maintaining an active presence within the international academic and artistic community.
Today the Academy educates 450 students through undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate programs in fine arts, visual culture, and art education. Its structure brings together the departments of Painting, Sculpture, Graphic Arts, Animated Film, New Media, Art Education, and Conservation and Restoration of Artworks. Teaching is strongly rooted in the classical model of studio-based learning and close mentorship, while simultaneously embracing interdisciplinary approaches, contemporary media and technologies as well as ecological and social practices.
The Academy’s activities rest on four interconnected missions: teaching, artistic production, artistic and scientific research, and engagement with society. Students develop their practice through intensive studio work, workshops, seminars, and international collaborations. At the same time, the Academy is an active site of artistic production, where exhibitions, films, performances, and public art projects are created and presented in Croatia and abroad.
Research at the Academy integrates artistic inquiry with theory, scientific methods and new technologies, addressing topics such as cultural heritage preservation, digital media, and experimental artistic practices. Through numerous projects and partnerships with cultural institutions, universities, and local communities, the Academy fosters dialogue between art, science, and society.
Rooted in a rich artistic heritage yet oriented toward the future, the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb remains a vibrant environment where classical artistic knowledge meets contemporary creativity, preparing new generations of artists, educators, and researchers to engage with an increasingly interconnected world.