PLEASE NOTE: The exhibition galleries and lobby of the National Academy Museum will be closed for renovations from July 2010 to September 2011.

While under renovation, the Academy will continue to host the evening roundtable discussion, “The Review Panel,” and the School will maintain a full class schedule. Please visit our website in the coming months for updates or join our mailing list, below, to receive announcements about our upcoming events.

Modeled after the Royal Academy in London, The Nation Academy was founded 185 years ago with the simple yet powerful mission to “promote the fine arts in America through instruction and exhibitions.” For the first time in this country, an arts institution was conceived with artists and architects at its core. The founders of the National Academy believed that the practice and exhibition of fine art could flourish outside of the aristocratic patronage system. Their new egalitarian institution would aim for the highest echelons of artistic expression with an inclusive philosophy, enriching and educating a new generation of artists and architects and sharing their work with the public.

Today, with its museum, art school, and association for artists and architects – the National Academicians - the Academy sees its original mission realized through a contemporary lens. It is a continually evolving testament to the transformative power or art, an institution that sheds light on over 7,000 great works, a forum for intergenerational dialogue and debate, and a source of vibrant exhibitions. The National Academy is a contemporary organization where tradition is celebrated and new visionaries embraced, connecting the past, present and future of American art.

Founded in 1825, the National Academy is the only institution of its kind that integrates a museum, art school, and association of artists and architects dedicated to creating and preserving a living history of American Art.