National Academy of Arts

The National Academy of Arts (Национална художествена академия) is an institution of higher education in Sofia, Bulgaria. It is the oldest and most renowned school of arts in the country.

History
The National Academy of Arts was founded in 1896 by noted artists and public figures such as Ivan Mrkvička, Anton Mitov, and sculptor Boris Schatz, as well as  men of letters in the likes of Konstantin Velichkov and Ivan Shishmanov. The original faculty also included Czech painter Jaroslav Věšín.

The National Academy of Arts' main edifice was built in 1906 after a project by Alexander Smirnov, the construction being guided by F. Schwanberg.

Renowned painter Nikola Marinov served as Chancellor in the period 1935-1937 and was a professor between 1921 and 1940.

Structure
Over 1,000 students are being educated at the academy in various art subjects, including 130 foreign students and 35 future doctors. The institution is divided into two faculties: Faculty of Fine Arts and Faculty of Applied Arts.

Notable alumni

 * Ilia Beshkov
 * Vladimir Dimitrov
 * Vasil Dokev
 * Dionisii Donchev
 * Donyo Donev
 * Christo Vladimirov Javacheff
 * Stefan Kanchev
 * Ivan Gekoff
 * Ida Ivanka Kubler
 * Yoan Leviev
 * Violeta Maslarova
 * Angel Metodiev
 * Svetlana Mircheva
 * Alzek Misheff
 * Vera Nedkova
 * Ivan Nenov
 * Nikolai Rainov
 * Alexander Telalim
 * Krassimir Terziev
 * Yanko Tihov
 * Shmuel Ben David
 * Theodore Ushev
 * Stefan Valev
 * Daria Vassilyanska
 * Keraca Visulčeva
 * Ivan Vukadinov
 * Doyup Kim