Academy of Fine Arts in Prague
The Academy of Fine Arts in Prague (AVU) is a public art university founded in 1799, making it the oldest art academy in the Czech Republic. For over two centuries, AVU has been a key institution shaping the development of Czech and Central European art.
Today, the Academy has approximately 380 students enrolled in bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programmes. Education is centred on studio-based learning and individual mentorship, fostering critical thinking, experimentation, and artistic independence.
AVU offers the following degree programmes:
Bachelor’s Degree Programme: Fine Arts (in Czech)
Master’s Degree Programmes: Fine Arts, Architecture, Restoration of Artworks (in Czech)
Art in Context (Post-Bachelor Master’s Programme, in English)
Art and Contemporary Technologies (in Czech)
Restoration of Modern Artworks from Non-traditional Materials (in Czech)
Doctoral Degree Programmes: Fine Arts, Architectural Practice, Restoration of Artworks, Theory and History of Contemporary Art (in Czech)
Practical teaching takes place primarily in eighteen studios, emphasizing diversity of approaches and encouraging dialogue between traditional media and experimental practices, including new technologies. The Department of Theory and History of Art provides theoretical and art-historical education, ensuring strong critical grounding for artistic practice.
Students have access to specialized workshops for wood, metal and casting, printmaking, digital media, and advanced 3D technologies. Professional staff members support students in realizing complex artistic projects across traditional and contemporary media.
Alongside teaching, AVU is active in research and publishing. The Academic Research Centre of the Academy of Fine Arts (VVP AVU) focuses on art history and theory, while the LARGE department supports artistic research. The AVU Publishing House produces approximately eight publications annually. Exhibition activities are concentrated in the AVU Gallery, located since 2024 next to the multifunctional space AVU Veletržní.
Students regularly present their work in public exhibitions of semester and diploma projects, forming an important part of the Academy’s public engagement and connection to the contemporary art scene.
AVU actively participates in international exchange programmes, including Erasmus+, and welcomes international students.
The Academy does not operate its own dormitories; students typically arrange accommodation independently or through private housing options in Prague.
English-Taught Programme
Art in Context (MFA) Post-Bachelor Master’s Programme
Art in Context is AVU’s English-language studio MFA that focuses on practice-based research, experimentation and collaboration through diverse fine art practices.
It is a three-year post-bachelor fine art master’s programme taught in English. Two years of intense learning culminate with a final third year focused on the creation and exhibition of a diploma project.
The curriculum combines a core studio programme with seminars, projects and individual consultation from an internationally renowned team of artists, performers, theorists and thinkers. The programme is designed around mutual exchange between students and instructors.
Studio work is complemented by a programme of workshops, contextual studies and lectures in art history and critical theory. Students have access to all of AVU’s facilities and workshops.
The programme offers small year-groups (up to 7 students), a safe and supportive critical environment for presenting and discussing ideas, local and international instructors and lecturers, and eligibility for AVU’s study exchange programme.
Students enter their 3rd year through a state exam comprised of a written thesis and oral defence. The 3rd year diploma project is exhibited as part of AVU’s annual diploma exhibition and defended in front of a jury of internal and external examiners.
As part of the programme, students complete one semester of exchange, either within another AVU studio or internationally through Erasmus+ partnerships. The final year is dedicated to the development and public exhibition of a diploma project presented within AVU’s annual diploma exhibition.
