Academy of Arts

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ACADEMY OF ARTS (17 Universitetskaya Embankment), state establishment of higher education in the sphere of fine arts and architecture, and a higher school of art. It was established by the decree of the Senate issued on 6 September 1757 according to the project of Count I.I. Shuvalov, who became its first President, as the Academy of Three Noble Arts, a boarding school with departments of painting, sculpture and architecture. First students were enrolled in 1758, and graduated in 1762 under A.F. Kokorinov as President. According to the regulations of 1764, the school was reorganised into the Imperial Academy of Arts, a state establishment that regulated the artistic life of Russia, distributed official orders and granted academic titles. Headed by the Council of Professors and a President, the Academy of Arts enjoyed self-government. The Academy sponsored an Art School for Children, where 5 and 6-year-olds studied preliminary art courses. After nine years of studies, pupils graduated from the school, majoring in Art History, Portrait Painting, Engraving, Sculpture, Architecture and other subjects. Their final examination consisted in drawing a picture on a given subject ( the so-called "programme work"). Since 1767, graduates who were awarded gold medals of excellence were sent abroad for further training, financed by the Academy of Arts. Since the 1770s, the Academy of Arts organized art exhibitions. In 1802, under President A.S. Stroganov (see the Stroganovs), the regulations of the Academy of Arts were amended, introducting new articles, which upgraded the status of the Academy in the sphere of public and art work, and legitimated its leading position in all spheres of artistic life. In particular, the Academy of Arts acquired the right "to carry out decoration projects for capital cities and towns,” "to approve" all large monuments installed throughout Russia and to carry out architectural and art contests. The golden age of the Academy of Arts fell on the first third of the 19th century, the period of High Russian Classicism. In 1840, the School was closed down, with only some training classes remaining. Since 1843, only members of the Imperial family were appointed presidents of the Academy. According to the regulations of 1859, the Academy of Arts was deprived of self-government and was subordinated to the Ministry of Imperial Court. The development of democratic artistic movement resulted in 13 graduates headed by I.N. Kramskoy leaving the Academy of Arts in 1863 and establishing the Art Artel. But thanks to the outstanding pedagogues (P.P. Chistyakov and others), the Academy of Arts retained its position as the main Russian school of arts in the second half of the 19th century. In 1893, new artistic regulations were adopted: the self-government was restored, training classes were reorganised into the Higher Art School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, that ran workshops headed by celebrated artists (I.E. Repin, V.E. Makovsky, I.I. Shishkin, A.I. Kuindzhi, et al.); Russian higher schools of art passed under the supervision of the Academy of Arts. The Academy was granted the right to approve monument design projects. During the period of 1758-1918, the Academy of Arts graduated about 3,800 painters, 990 sculptors and 2,150 architects. In 1918, the Academy was closed down by the decree of the Soviet of People's Commissars, with a part of its collection transferred to the State Hermitage. The Higher School of Art was reorganized as the Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, established in 1932 after a number of reorganisations. In 1933-47, the All-Russian Academy of Arts worked in the former premises of the Academy of Arts; later the Academy was reorganized as the Academy of Arts of the USSR. Today, the building of the Academy of Arts houses the Museum of the Academy of Arts, archives and the library of the Academy of Arts and other establishments. Originally, the Academy of Arts was located in the house of the Shuvalovs (today 12-14 Sadovaya Street). In 1764-88, a grandiose building according to the project of architect J.B. Vallin de la Mothe was constructed for the Academy on Bolshaya Neva Embankment (17 Universitetskaya Embankment). It replaced buildings of the first quarter of the 18th century and became the first architectural monument of the Classicism style in St. Petersburg. The construction of the garden outbuilding and a round wing was launched in 1764 under the supervision of architect A.F. Kokorinov, the construction of the main building was carried out in 1766-88 (architect Y.M. Felten and E.T. Sokolov). The rectangular, almost square building (140х125 m), has a round building in its centre (known as "the compass") with a round inner yard with the diameter of 55 meters. The corner sections of the building have four inner patios. The main facade overlooking the Neva River has a prominent central section with a portico adorned with sculptures of Heracles and Flora and crowned with a cupola (originally the building had been topped with the statue of Minerva). The rusticated first floor has large window arches, the upper floors are united by a large order. The facade overlooking the garden is of an identical design. Along the main facade, there is an enfilade of gala halls with a round domed conference hall in the centre. The Memorial Hall was added to the library In 1914-15 (architect V.A. Shchuko, artist E.E. Lansere). The complex of buildings of the Academy of Arts also includes the Drawing Building in the garden (1819-21, architect A.A. Mikhailov) with a 6-column portico, Mosaic Workshops (1862-64, architect F.I. Eppinger), a Dwelling House in the garden (1846, rebuilt in 1900s, architects A. P. Bryullov, V. A. Kenel, et al.) and the building of the Battle-Painting Studio (1897, architect V.F. Svinyin). Divine services in the home church of St. Catherine, built in 1832-37 by architect K.A. Ton, were resumed in 1991.

References: Сборник материалов для истории Императорской С.-Петербургской Академии художеств за сто лет ее существования: В 3 ч. / Изд. под ред. П. Н. Петрова. СПб., 1864-1866; Кондаков С. Н. Юбилейный справочник Императорской Академии художеств, 1714-1914: В 2 ч. СПб., 1914; Лисовский В. Г. Академия художеств: Ист.-искусствовед. очерк. 2-е изд., перераб. и доп. Л., 1982; 225 лет Академии художеств СССР: Кат. выст.: В 2 т. М., 1983-1985.

S. V. Boglachev, V.G. Isachenko (architectural sketch). Bryullov Boris Pavlovich
Catherine II, Empress
Chistyakov Pavel Petrovich
Demut-Malinovsky Vasily Ivanovich
Egorov Alexey Egorovich
Eppinger Fedor Ivanovich
Ivanov Andrey Ivanovich
Kokorinov Alexander Filippovich
Kramskoy Ivan Nikolaevich
Kuindzhi Arkhip Ivanovich
Makovsky Vladimir Egorovich
Martos Ivan Petrovich
Mikhaylov (Mikhaylov 2nd) Andrey Alexeevich
Petrov Peter Nikolaevich
Pimenov Stepan Stepanovich
Prokofiev Ivan Prokofievich
Repin Ilya Efimovich
Rezanov Alexander Ivanovich
Shebuev Vasily Kozmich
Shishkin Ivan Ivanovich
Shuvalov Ivan Ivanovich, Count
Stroganov Alexander Sergeevich, Count
Ton Konstantin Andreevich
Vallin de la Mothe Jean Baptiste Michel
Sadovaya St./Saint Petersburg, city, house 12
Sadovaya St./Saint Petersburg, city, house 14
Universitetskaya Embankment/Saint Petersburg, city, house 17
Петров П. Н. Сборник материалов для истории Имп. С.-Петербургской Академии художеств за сто лет ее существования: В 3 ч. СПб., 1852-1866
225 лет Академии художеств СССР: Кат. выст: В 2 т. М., 1983-1985
Лисовский В. Г. Академия художеств: Ист.-искусствовед. очерк. 2-е изд., перераб. и доп. Л., 1982
Кондаков С. Н. Юбилейный справочник Академии художеств, 1714-1914: В 2 ч. СПб., 1914 Senate
Artel of Artists
1764
1911