Beaux-Arts de Paris

The École des Beaux-Arts in Paris is France’s national school of fine arts with institutional origins in the royal academies of the 17th century and a modern form consolidated in the 19th century.

The campus houses ateliers, studios, a specialized art library, and a museum collection of plaster casts and student works that document classical training methods and historical curricula. The school has trained generations of painters, sculptors and architects who influenced French and international art education.

Over its history the institution was reorganised several times, especially during and after the French Revolution; it continued as a central state school for fine arts through the 19th and 20th centuries.

The school’s buildings are on the Left Bank in central Paris, within the Île-de-France region and close to other cultural institutions along the Seine.

• Historical collections: Institutional roots extend back to 17th-century royal academies; the modern École des Beaux-Arts retains historical teaching collections including plaster casts that are valuable for study visits.

What to See #

• Main school complex (ateliers and studios): A historical educational complex on the Left Bank of central Paris containing studios, lecture halls and workshops that serve the national school for fine arts.
• Museum and plaster cast collection: An in-house museum and a large collection of plaster casts and student works document the school's teaching collections and historical curriculum practices dating back to earlier royal academies.
• Library and archives: A research library holds specialized collections on art theory, architectural drawings, and historical student submissions used for teaching and exhibitions.