Founded in 1799 by an imperial decree of Emperor Francis II upon the petition of the Society of Patriotic Friends of the Arts, the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague (AVU; Akademie výtvarných umění v Praze) is the oldest art school in the Czech Republic and one of Central Europe's most prestigious public institutions dedicated exclusively to the visual arts, architecture, and restoration. Situated adjacent to Stromovka Park in Prague 7, AVU has nurtured the paramount titans of Czech visual culture, including painters Mikoláš Aleš, František Kupka (pioneer of Orphism and European abstraction), Max Švabinský, and Bohumil Kubišta, as well as monumental sculptors Josef Václav Myslbek and Jan Štursa, and functionalist architect Josef Gočár. AVU operates under a studio-based masterclass educational model (ateliérová výuka), where students are admitted directly into specialized master studios headed by eminent practicing artists, sculptors, architects, and theoreticians. Academic programs encompass continuous six-year integrated Master of Fine Arts programs (MgA., 360 ECTS), three-year Master of Architecture programs (MgA., 180 ECTS), post-bachelor Master's tracks, accredited four-year Doctoral degrees (Ph.D., 240 ECTS), and an internationally renowned English-taught Master of Fine Arts programme, 'Art in Context', based at the historic Art Nouveau Šaloun Studio in Vinohrady. Under the Czech Higher Education Act (Act No. 111/1998 Coll.), all degree courses taught in the Czech language are 100% tuition-free for all nationalities, preserving an egalitarian environment focused entirely on creative excellence and talent.

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