The National Academy of Art 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 Art' 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==