The Academy of Fine Arts (ASP) in Krakow is the oldest university of the arts in Poland. It was established under Statutes of the Jagiellonian University in October 1818.
Initially, it functioned as an institute called the Academy of Fine Arts within the Literature Department at the Faculty of Philosophy of the Jagiellonian University. In 1826, ASP was removed from under a supervision of the Dean of the Literature Department and transferred under a direct supervision of the Rector of the Jagiellonian University. Soon, first directors, selected from amongst ASP professors, stood at the Academy’s helm: first Józef Peszka, followed by Józef Brodowski, an initiator of the concept of creating the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow, which was crucial for establishing the academy. Apart from Professors Peszka and Brodowski, who taught painting and drawing, in 1818–1833 the most important role at the Academy was played by sculptors, Józef Riedlinger, and his successor Józef Schmelzer.
