Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague

The Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague has ranked among the best educational institutions in the country. It boasts a number of successful graduates who have gone on to become respected professionals, garnering acclaim beyond the Czech Republic. The school is divided into the departments of architecture, design, fine arts, applied arts, graphic and theory and history of art. Each department is divided into studios according to their specialist area. The studios are all led by leading figures of the Czech art scene. Twice a year the school opens to the public for a presentation of student work, entitled “Artsemestr”. Each year the school organises over 15 exhibitions, half of which are shown abroad. Prague UMPRUM is the only Central and Eastern European school that figures in the indices of prestigious European and world art schools.

The bachelor’s program is conceived as a four-year course and the individual studios highlight various areas of the fields of design, graphics, visual communication and fine art work. The focal point of the education process is studio-based training in which artistic concept is combined with technical work and craftsmanship. Emphasis is placed on the acquisition of theoretical and practical knowledge and skills in the field, mastering the fundamental principles of creative work and applying them in a creative personal approach.

The master’s program is conceived as an integrated six-year course and the individual studios highlight various areas of the field of architectonic design.The follow-up master’s program is conceived as a two-year course and the individual studios highlight various areas of the fields of architectonic design, design, graphics, visual communication and fine art work.

The Ph.D. studies in the Visual Arts program last three years and can be conducted either on-site or in combined form according to the individual study plan. This type of study is intended for master’s graduates in the same or similar field and leads to independent creative, research or scientific work in four fields – Architecture, Design, Fine Arts, Graphics and Visual Communication.

International student mobility has a long-lasting tradition at AAAD. The students widen their horizons in their art disciplines, gain different practical skills, including linguistic ones; and acquire experience from long-term stays in different cultural environments. The majority of international mobility takes place within Erasmus+ programme, implemented since 1998. Besides study or traineeship abroad we also encourage teacher and staff mobility within this programme. We make efforts to transfer new experience and examples of good practice into teaching and other processes. Student exchanges take place also at non-European partner schools on the basis of bilateral agreements.

The Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague today has a specific status in the educational system of the Czech Republic, as it did at the time of its establishment in 1885. The foundation of the learning process was, and remains, work in creative studios led by experienced artists capable of instilling in the practice of their students the basic principles of creativity in combination with theoretical learning.

The present-day concept of education at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design rests, as it did in the past, on three main pillars: artistic theory and philosophy, technical disciplines and creative studio work. At the same time, AAAD attempts to be a modern, prestigious art school sought out not only by Czech, but also foreign students with an open approach to topical questions formulated in the international art environment. The goal is to offer comprehensive art education in the areas of architecture, design, visual communication, fine and applied arts, overseen by important figures in the art scene.

There are four architectural studios at the Academy of Arts, Architecture, and Design in Prague, each with a specific pedagogical focus. Since its founding, the Department of Architecture has benefited from cooperation with art departments and departments of applied art. Students have the opportunity to develop their skills while being taught in the scope of craft techniques, sculpting, painting, and drawing. In addition to being linked with applied arts disciplines, the Department of Architecture profits from its curriculum of accompanying technical education and maintains close cooperation with a number of experts, and specialists in a wide range of fields. This profile makes it an unparalleled institution in the field of educating future architects. The evidence is in numerous awards won by students and graduates of the UMPRUM architecture studios in both domestic and international architectural competitions.

Originally, the School of Decorative Arts used the only wing facing Alšovo quay whereas the part facing the square and Rudolfinum was occupied by the Painting Academy. Although the architecture design and lay-out drew inspiration from Italian High and Late Renaissance palaces, the role of immediate models was played by Fine Arts Academies in Paris and Vienna. The purpose of the building can be seen not only in the large studio windows but also in the sculpture work applied. On the front of the academy one can read names of significant Renaissance and Baroque artists and find copies of Antique and Renaissance sculptures (Medici Venus, Urania Venus, Dancing Satyrs as well as Michelangelo´s Dawn and Twilight) placed in the important parts of the facade. The original wall painting and decoration has been partly preserved in the school gallery and in some parts of the school corridor.