Academy of Fine Arts of Florence

Founded in 1563 as the Academy and Company of the Arts of Drawing, the Academy of Fine Arts of Florence was made up of an academy of Fine Arts and an art gallery in Florence, Italy. It is the first art school in Europe in history. In 1784, Grand Duke of Tuscany Pietro Leopoldo combined all the schools of drawing in Florence into one institution, an academy of fine arts. The academy pioneered fine arts education worldwide and enlightened the growth of other academies in the field.