Central Academy of Fine Arts

(Zhongyang meishu xueyuan)

The Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) is the only fine art institution of higher education directly subordinate to the Ministry of Education. It was founded in April 1950 on the basis of the Beiping National Art School dating back to 1918 and of the Department of Fine Arts of North China University, whose predecessor was the ‘Lu Yi’ Fine Art Department established in Yan’an in 1938. CAFA’s first president was the famous Chinese painter and fine art educator, Xu Beihong.

CAFA has four undergraduate programmes in painting, sculpture, art and design, and art studies; two master’s programmes in art studies and the art of design; and one doctoral programme in art studies. The programmes are offered in seven departments: Chinese Painting, Western Painting, Engraving, Mural Painting, Sculpture, Design, and Art History. In addition, CAFA also has a 101 Plastic Arts Seminar and an Adult Education Unit. There are over 1,000 undergraduate and graduate students, including over one hundred visiting students from a few dozen countries and regions.

The Library of CAFA is the largest of its kind in China, holding almost 300,000 albums of paintings and books on various subjects. Its art gallery has collected a vast array of rare artwork and hosts annual exhibitions of works created by the faculty and students. CAFA pays great attention to international exchanges, exhibitions and forums for artists at home and abroad. CAFA publishes two journals: Art Studies and World Art.

See also: art academies

HU MINGRONG