Academy of Fine Arts Vienna was founded in 1692 as a private academy artist Emperor Leopold I Peter Strudel, so it is the oldest art academy in Central Europe. After the death of Peter Strudel court painter in 1714, the Academy was temporarily closed. But in 1726 the Emperor Charles VI re-opened it.

In 1872, the Academy has been received the status of a higher educational institution. Since 1876, the Academy took the building, designed by the architect Theophil Hansen in the style of the Italian Renaissance.

In 1907 and 1908, the young Adolf Hitler, who arrived from Linz, twice tried unsuccessfully to enter the drawing classes. He stayed in Vienna and tried to continue his profession of the artist. Soon, he was left without a livelihood and started selling amateur paintings, mostly watercolors, he is not left Vienna to Munich in May 1913.

At present the Academy is one of the leading centers for artists. The Academy is divided into the following institutes: the Institute of Fine Arts, which houses three departments for painting, drawing, fine art, media, sculpture; Institute of Art Theory and Culture (art theory, philosophy, history); Institute of protection and restoration;
Institute of science and technology in the arts; School apprenticeship, design, textile art); Institute of Art and Architecture. The Academy currently has about 900 students, nearly a quarter of which are foreign students.

The Art Gallery, located on the second floor of the west wing is an impressive collection of paintings from the XIV century. Particularly noteworthy paintings of Bosch "Last Judgement", as well as works by Rubens, Titian and Rembrandt.