Academy of San Carlos

The Academy of San Carlos (Spanish: Academia de San Carlos) is an art academy in Mexico City that holds the distinction of being both the first major art school and the first art museum in the Americas. Founded in 1781 as the School of Engraving, it has played a foundational role in the development of Mexican art and architecture. Located at 22 Academia Street, just northeast of the Zócalo in the historic center of Mexico City, the institution emphasized European classical and Neoclassical traditions in its training until the early 20th century, when it shifted toward more modern perspectives. Today, it operates as part of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), with only graduate courses held in the original historic building.

The Academy of San Carlos historically maintained a significant collection of art, recognized as the first art museum in the Americas. The institution accumulated works across multiple media to serve its educational mission. Today, the successor institution, the National School of Expressive Arts (Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas), holds substantial collections encompassing prints, drawings, paintings, photographs, sculptures, and numismatic materials. These collections continue to support both research and teaching functions, preserving the Academy's legacy as a center for visual arts education and scholarship in Mexico.

The Academy's historic collections and artistic patrimony include significant architectural and decorative elements within its building. The neoclassical facade features six medallions by Francesco Cavallari depicting the four founders of the institution, King Charles III, King Charles IV, Jerónimo Antonio Gil, and Fernando José Mangino, alongside Raphael and Michelangelo. Cavallari is also attributed with the design of the patio, the conference hall, and the painting and sculpture galleries. The courtyard's glass and iron dome, added in the early 20th century based on Antonio Rivas Mercado's design with French-manufactured components by Lapeyrere, stands as a notable architectural feature that was restored in 2011.

The Academy of San Carlos is situated at 22 Academia Street in the historic center of Mexico City, just northeast of the Zócalo and Plaza de la Constitución. The building occupies the former Hospital del Amor de Dios, originally constructed in 1540 as the first hospital for syphilis patients. The structure was adapted for academic use beginning in 1787 after the Academy abandoned plans for a purpose-built facility on Nilpantongo Street designed by Manuel Tolsá.

The building's neoclassical facade, decorated with Cavallari's medallions, reflects the institution's classical aesthetic commitments. The interior courtyard was transformed in the early 20th century by the addition of a glass and iron dome, designed by director Antonio Rivas Mercado with components manufactured in France by Lapeyrere and shipped to Mexico for assembly. This dome created a weather-protected art gallery space within the courtyard. The building underwent restoration work in 2011 to address structural deterioration, particularly corrosion of the dome's iron beams.

The Academy of San Carlos is located at 22 Academia Street, northeast of the Zócalo in Mexico City's historic center. The original building now serves a limited function within the larger university system. Following the relocation of undergraduate fine arts programs to a facility in Xochimilco, only graduate courses of the modern school continue to be offered in the original Academy building. The institution operates under the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), specifically within the Faculty of Arts and Design structure. Information about access and current programming is available through the official website at https://academiasancarlos.unam.mx/.