Founded on 26 September 1769 at the behest of Maria Teresa Cybo, Princess of Carrara, the Accademia di Belle Arti di Carrara ranks among the oldest and most prestigious artistic institutions in Europe. Conceived with the aim of fostering the advancement of the arts and enhancing the local marble industry, the Academy soon established itself as a centre of excellence in artistic education, welcoming generations of sculptors, painters, and creatives. Among the earliest departments to be instituted were those of Sculpture and Architecture, later joined by the Schools of Ornamentation, History and Mythology, Pictorial Anatomy, and others.
During the Napoleonic era, when the institution was renamed “Eugeniana”, it benefited from the teachings of illustrious masters such as Jean-Baptiste Desmarais, Lorenzo Bartolini, and Lorenzo Papi. The Academy’s historic premises, gifted in 1810 by Elisa Bonaparte Baciocchi, is a veritable work of art: frescoed interiors, a gipsoteca enriched with casts donated by celebrated artists such as Canova, a library, and opulent salons. In the 19th century, under the Restoration, the Academy expanded into numerous specialised schools and adopted a structured four-year curriculum. Noteworthy among the alumni of this era are figures such as Carlo Finelli, Pietro Tenerani, Pietro Fontana, and Benedetto Cacciatori.
Today, the Academy distinguishes itself through a comprehensive and forward-looking educational offering, structured across ten departments: Sculpture, Painting, Set Design, Cinema-Photography-Audiovisual Arts, Decoration, Design, Art Pedagogy, Comics and Illustration, Printmaking, and New Technologies for the Arts, a course in which the institution was a national pioneer.
Currently, the Academy operates across five modern campuses, equipped with advanced laboratories and cutting-edge technology, and hosts students from 38 different nations. It boasts a distinguished roster of Honorary Academicians, including historical figures such as Napoleon Bonaparte, Antonio Canova, and John Flaxman, as well as contemporary artists of international renown such as Marina Abramović, Jeff Koons, and Maurizio Cattelan.