Locations

The Royal Academy of Arts, founded in 1764, was housed in different buildings until the present-day academy building was constructed at Brühlsche Terrasse. It was initially housed in the former barracks in the new town and later in the Fürstenberg Palace at Schloßplatz from 1766. Since 1790, training took place on the premises of the Brühlsche Bibliothek (Brühl Library) and the former Brühlsche Gemäldegalerie (Brühl Art Gallery) was used for the academy’s art exhibitions.

In 1884, the royal government ordered the construction of a new art academy and exhibition building. The prominent location in the heart of the city, the tradition of operating the academy from this place for many years and the possibility of getting a building with a large façade that no longer obstructed northern lights, were the reasons why Brühlsche Terrasse was chosen as the site again. In 1884, the government of Saxony awarded the contract for planning and building a new academy to Constantin Lipsius, a professor of architecture at the art academy. After a construction period of seven years, the art academy and exhibition building were ready for occupancy in 1894.

The academy suffered serious war damage on 13th and 14th February 1945. However, while the surrounding buildings, including the Frauenkirche, were completely destroyed, the cubage of the academy was preserved despite considerable fire damage. The clean-up and reconstruction work was completed in 1952, after which it was possible to resume the teaching activities of the academy. In the subsequent years, efforts to carry out a thorough renovation were unsuccessful. It was not until 1991 that the Free State of Saxony commenced systematic renovation and reconstruction, which was finally completed in 2002.

The Pfotenhauerstraße/Fürstenstraße sites were purchased in 1910 for almost 190,000 marks. In 1911, six individual buildings were built there as a studio for sculpting and a studio for animal painting including the necessary livestock facilities. The architects were Max Wrba and Julius Rudolf Glaeser. Karl Albiker and Georg Wrba taught there. The animal painting school was headed by Emanuel Hegenbarth, while the landscape class was taught by Richard Dreher. From 1940, the premises were occupied by the Nazi Wehrmacht and, in 1942, two-thirds of all the premises were seized by the Luftgaukommando. Although the largest part of the complex was destroyed on 13th February 1945, seven studios were in use again in 1947. All destroyed buildings on the side of the Elbe were demolished in 1948. After being used by a primary school in the interim, partial reconstruction started in 1954. Since September 1956, it has been in use again as the building where the Sculpture department conducts its classes.