Las mejores historias no se inventan: se descubren. La de Academy of San Carlos es una de esas narrativas que, cuando la conoces a fondo, te resulta imposible mirar hacia otro lado. The Academy of San Carlos, formerly also known as the National School of Fine Arts, is an art academy in Mexico City that historically played an important role in the development o
El contexto histórico
The Academy of San Carlos (Spanish: Academia de San Carlos), formerly also known as the National School of Fine Arts (Spanish: Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes), is an art academy in Mexico City that historically played an important role in the development of Mexican art and architecture. Founded in 1781 as the School of Engraving, it was the first major art school and the first art museum in the Americas. The school was moved to the Academia Street location about 10 years after its founding and is located at 22 Academia Street, just northeast of the Zócalo of Mexico City. It emphasized the European classical tradition in training until the early 20th century, when it shifted to a more modern perspective. The Academy of San Carlos was integrated with the National Autonomous University of Mexico, eventually becoming the Faculty of Arts and Design, which is based in Xochimilco. Currently, only graduate courses of the modern school are given in the original academy building.
The Academy
Los hechos clave
On November 4 of 1785, courses were officially started in the Academy of the Noble Arts of San Carlos of the New Spain. In 1788, the Academy of San Fernando in Spain sent some teachers like the famous Manuel Tolsá who was in charge of architecture and sculpture. Aspirations of growing were massive. So the institution tried to finance a building that Tolsá was designing on Nilpantongo Street, but it was way too expensive and it was paid by the Royal Seminar of Mining. Without a building of their own, the academy asked for the forsaken one of the Hospital Amor de Dios and finally in 1787 they started classes there. Since its founding, it attracted the country’s best artists, and was a force behind the abandonment of the Baroque style in Mexico, which had already gone out-of-fashion in Europe. In the early 19th century, the academy was closed for a short time due to the Mexican War of Independence as well as losing funding from the Spanish royal house. When it fully reopened in the 1820s,
Dato clave: Another notable teacher here was Pelegrí Clavé, who was noted for his expertise in creating portraits of heroes and biblical figures.
Lo que revelan las investigaciones
Alumni and associated artists Some of its most famous first teachers included Miguel Constanzó in architecture, José Joaquín Fabregat in metal engraving, Rafael Ximeno y Planes in painting and Manuel Tolsá in sculpture. Another notable teacher here was Pelegrí Clavé, who was noted for his expertise in creating portraits of heroes and biblical figures. Catalan Antonio Fabres was a dominant force at the Academy of San Carlos during the early 20th century. He mentored Mexican artists such as Saturnino Herrán, Roberto Montenegro, Diego Rivera, and José Clemente Orozco. José María Velasco is considered the greatest artist associated with the academy, famous for his landscapes of the Valley of Mexico and a mentor of Diego Rivera. Other artists linked to the academy are Manuel Rodríguez Lozano, Alfredo Zalce, Andrés José López, José Chávez Morado, Francisco Moreno Capdevila, Luis Sahagún Cortés, Gabriel Fernández Ledesma, Roberto de la Selva and Jorge Figueroa Acosta. Matusha Corkidi studied
Las implicaciones
The building originally was as the Amor de Dios Hospital, which had closed by the time the School of Engraving decided to move there from the mint building. Founding director Gerónimo Antonio Gil took charge of the restoration and remodeling work. Artist Javier Cavallari created the academy’s Neoclassic façade, which is embellished with six medallions. Four of these represent the academy’s founders: Carlos III, Carlos IV, Gerónimo Antonio Gil and Fernando José Manguino, and the other two are of Michelangelo and Raphael. Cavallari also finished the patio, the conference room and the painting and sculpture galleries. The painting gallery contains portraits by Ramon Sagredo and the sculpture room contains works by José Obregón and Manuel Ocaranza. A number of plaster casts of classic statues from the San Fernando Fine Arts Academy in Spain were brought here for teaching purposes. These casts still exist and can be seen on display in the academy’s central patio. Some of these statues inclu
Por qué esta historia importa
La historia de Academy of San Carlos no es solo un relato del pasado. Es un espejo que nos ayuda a entender el México de hoy — sus contradicciones, su resiliencia, sus retos y su potencial. Conocerla es un primer paso hacia una conversación más honesta sobre el país y la sociedad que queremos construir.
[ ENCUESTA RÁPIDA ]