The Academy of Fine Arts in Nuremberg sees itself as a laboratory engaged in free study and innovation. It was established in 1662 as the first school of art in German-speaking central Europe. The primary subject areas for instruction are liberal and applied arts.
The Academy works to make all modern artistic forms and expressions conceivable and to understand them in their correct social and historical-critical settings. The support of each student's individual growth is the cornerstone of this type of education.
Diverging aesthetic perspectives are essential to creative discourse. For this reason, experts from a wide range of disciplines are frequently invited as guests; as a result, students can learn about subjects that don't initially seem to have anything to do with art. The range of artistic activity is stimulated and widened via shifting appointments and guest professorships.
Today's classrooms are a collection of transparent pavillions created by Sep Ruf and designated as historical monuments. The campus, which is on the outskirts of the city, provides a busy work environment. In workshop spaces that are exceptionally well-equipped, artistic techniques are taught. Young painters exhibit their work in public for the first time in the Academy's exhibition hall and the Academy Gallery.
Through collaborations with universities in Budapest, Cuenca, Helsinki, Cracow, Palermo, Riga, Urbino, and Vienna, students can finish a portion of their course of study abroad. Programs with an ideal student-to-teacher ratio currently have about 310 students enrolled.