Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando

Palacio de Goyeneche
Abbreviation	RABASF
Formation	1752; 273 years ago (1752)
Type	Learned society, fine arts academy, art museum
Legal status	public law corporation
Headquarters	Palacio de Goyeneche [es]
Location	Calle de Alcalá 13, Madrid, Spain
Affiliations	Instituto de España [es]

The Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando (RABASF) means 'Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando'. It is located on the Calle de Alcalá in the center of Madrid, Spain. Today, it works as both a museum and an art gallery. It is part of a group of important Spanish royal academies.

History of the Academy
Famous Students
Important Academics
Art Collection
Gallery
See also

History of the Academy

The academy was started by a royal decree in 1752. A royal decree is like a special law made by a king or queen. About 20 years later, King Charles III bought a palace in Madrid for the academy. King Charles III was an "enlightened monarch." This means he was a ruler who believed in using reason and new ideas to improve society.

The palace was first designed by José Benito de Churriguera for the Goyeneche family. It had a fancy Baroque style. King Charles III asked Diego de Villanueva to change the building. He wanted it to look more modern, in a Neoclassical style. This style is known for being simpler and more like ancient Greek and Roman buildings. The academy is also the main office for the Madrid Academy of Art.

Famous Students

Many talented artists have studied at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando. These students are called "alumni."

The very first person to graduate from the academy was Bárbara María Hueva.
Francisco Goya, a very famous Spanish painter, was once one of the academy's directors.
Other well-known alumni include:
- Felip Pedrell
- Pablo Picasso
- Kiko Argüello
- Remedios Varo
- Salvador Dalí
- Antonio López García
- Juan Luna
- Fernando Amorsolo
- Oscar de la Renta
- Francesc Daniel Molina i Casamajó
- Ricardo Macarrón
- Alicia Iturrioz
- Fernando Botero
- Melecio Figueroa

Important Academics

The academy also has many important teachers and experts, known as academics.

Mariana de Silva-Bazán y Sarmiento (1739-1784) was a noblewoman, writer, painter, and translator.
Juan Luis Vassallo was a famous sculptor.

Art Collection

The Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando is also a museum and gallery. It has a wonderful collection of fine art. This includes paintings from the 15th to the 20th centuries. You can see works by many famous artists like: