Royal Academy Of Art, The Hague

The Royal Academy of Art ( nl, Koninklijke Academie van Beeldende Kunsten, KABK) is an art and design academy in The Hague, offering programs at both the HBO bachelor's and master's levels, as well as PhD programs. It is among the most prestigious universities in the Netherlands and enjoys international acclaim.

Succeeding the ''Haagsche Teeken-Academie'' (part of the Confrerie Pictura), the academy was founded on 29 September 1682, making it the oldest in the Netherlands and one of the oldest in the world. The academy has been the training ground for a number of significant artists of the Hague School. It was part of the art movement of Dutch Impressionism and in the immediate vicinity of the II. Golden Age of Dutch painting.

While training was strongly oriented towards the classic curriculum throughout much of the 19th century, the academy opened to modernism at the end of the 19th century. Influenced by the Bauhaus, the academy gradually shifted its focus toward a more contemporary art and design style. Within education, the focus on new technologies and new media has expanded dramatically, which is visible in new workplaces and facilities, but also in new study options such as ArtScience, Interactive/Media/Design and Non-Linear Narrative. In 1957, in celebration of the academy's 250-year existence, it was awarded the predicate "royal".

Nowadays, it maintains close ties in its curriculum with its mother institution, the University of the Arts The Hague (HDK), as well as Leiden University, under the name "Academy of Creative and Performing Arts" (ACPA). As a result, students are able to follow several elective classes from all institutions falling under that umbrella. Furthermore, the academy's students are 68% international and the academy values this internationalization greatly. It adopts an international approach in its curriculum structure wherever possible.

History

The Royal Academy of Art The Hague, was founded on September 29, 1682, by Willem Doudijns, Theodor van der Schuer, Daniel Mijtens the Younger, Robert Duval and Augustinus Terwesten as the ''Haagsche Teeken-Academie'' ("The Hague Drawing Academy"). In the evening there were drawings classes and on Saturday the society debated about art.

In the 18th century the Hague Academy was a thriving institution, but the end of the 18th century was a difficult time due to the absence of any financial support. The low point was around 1800, when the academy was working with fewer than ten students.

Under William I of the Netherlands, support returned and the old institute grew once again. In 1821, the drawing education was combined with the newly established School of Civil Engineering. After being housed in the ''Korenbeurs'' and ''Boterwaag'' in 1839, a new neoclassical building was designed by city architect Zeger Reyers (1790–1857), located at the Prinsessegracht.

In the 19th century, the artists Johannes Bosboom, Isaac Israëls, Willem Maris, Jan Hendrik Weissenbruch and George Hendrik Breitner were trained here. In 1937, a new academy building designed by J.H. Plantenga (1891–c. 1945), J.W.E. Buijs and J.B. Lürsen was completed on the site of the old neoclassical building.

In 1990, the Royal Academy merged with the Royal Conservatory of The Hague into the "School of Visual Arts, Music and Dance". In 2010 the Dutch government elevated the joint institutions to "University of the Arts in The Hague". The two still go by their original names as well, to underline their individual identities.

The academy awards the Gerrit Noordzij Prize initial designs every two years.

Buildings

After 1821, the academy grew in importance again, as the ''School voor Burgerlijke Bouwkunde'' was connected to it. Now it moved in the house of the ''Korenbeurs'' (Grain Exchange). This small building was important for the future of this school.

Later, it moved to the ''Boterwaag'' (weighing house for butter), but there was not enough light for the painting classes. Finally in 1839 the academy got its own building at the Prinsessegracht; it was designed by Zeger Reyers in the architectural style of neoclassicism.

In the 20th century, the classes grew, necessitating more space. Thus, from 1934 to 1937, the academy got a new building at Prinsessegracht 4. The building was built in the style of the Bauhaus.

Hague School

At the end of the 19th century, the art scene in The Hague flourished, in what was also known internationally as the Hague School. Many well-known artists like Breitner, the brothers Maris (Jacob Maris and Matthijs Maris) and Bosboom were trained in the academy. In the first half of the 20th century the academy played an important role in the Netherlands, too.

The new departments of photography and design arose under Bauhaus-influence.

At that time, the teachers of the avant-garde such as Gerrit Kiljan (1881–1961), Paul Schuitema (1897–1973), Paul Citroen (1896–1983) and Cor Alon (1892–1967) dominated the academy. The academy expanded its curriculum as one of the first Dutch schools by teaching in the field of industrial design.

In 1938 a new building erected on the site of the old house. The design was one of the architectural firm ''Plantenga, Buijs & Lürsen''.

Modern times

In 1990, the academy and the Royal Conservatory joined into the Academy of Fine Arts, Music and Dance (now University of the Arts The Hague).

In 2000, a general overhaul led by architect ''Van Mourik Vermeulen'' was carried out, enlarging the campus.

In 2001, a collaboration between Leiden University and the Royal Academy of Art resulted in the first formalised collaboration between a Dutch university and art institute. The Royal Conservatory, the Royal Academy of Art and Leiden University now offer joint degree programmes, including ones at doctoral level.

The academy's focus on novel technologies and new media has resulted in state-of-the-art workshops, studios and departments such as ArtScience, Interactive/Media/Design and Non-Linear Narrative.

Administration and organization

Leadership

The management and administration of the KABK is led by director Ranti Tjan, with Fenna Hup acting as the deputy director. Administrative and managerial duties are divided among several heads of various departments, each responsible for different aspects of the academy's operations.

The broader organization of the academy includes several administrators. Each of these administrators plays a crucial role in maintaining the smooth operation of the institution, from overseeing technical services and facility management to quality assurance, international affairs, marketing and communications, and human resources.

The educational programs at the academy are managed by department heads responsible for their respective academic areas. They supervise a team of teachers and one or more coordinators, and ensure the quality and relevance of the educational programs at the academy. In addition to the administrative and academic roles, the KABK's administration also includes positions of lectors, such as Prof. Dr. Anke Haarmann (Lectorate Art Theory & Practice) and Prof. Dr. Alice Twemlow (Lectorate Design).

Student participation in the administration is emphasized in the Academy Council (DMR-KABK), University Council (CMR-HdK), and Study Programme Committee KABK.https://www.kabk.nl/storage/documents/OER-21-22-Ba_ENG_v2.pdf These bodies consist of student and staff representatives and are involved in decision-making, ensuring student voices are heard at the highest levels. Similarly, the University Council and Study Programme Committee include students and teaching staff alike.

The academy also has a separate examination board consisting of elected tutors. Ranti Tjan was dismissed after a court case in juni 2023.

Supervisory Board

In November 2023 a member of the Supervisory Board stepped down at his main place of work duw to accusations of funding fraud by the Eu. He was allowed to stay on at the Art Academy in The Hague.

Global staff

* Lizzy Kok (Operations)
* Esther van Oosten (Student Administration)
* Bart Vissers (Workshops and Library)
* Erik Mans (Housing and Facilities)
* Leo Capel (Quality Assurance)
* Meher Khan Muztar (Marketing/Communication)
* Aparajita Dutta (Internationalization)

Inherited from University of the Arts, The Hague:

* Dik van Rhijn (IT)
* Gerard Zanoni (Financial Controller)
* Jan Willem van der Wal (Human Resources)

Department structure

The KABK offers two broad bachelor's degrees to its students, a BA Design and a BA Autonomous Fine Arts. It divides these degrees into several departments or programs. These departments are the organizational unit within the Royal Academy of Art that are responsible for the curriculum of the bachelors' specializations. A specialization is an implementation of a degree program with a focus on a specific profile within the objectives of the program, e.g. on a specific artistic discipline. For example, the departments Graphic Design and Interactive/Media/Design, whilst being a separate department with a different faculty and curriculum, are both specializations of the same broader bachelor's degree, BA Design. All specializations within a degree program share the same final qualifications/learning objectives. Each department also has its own propaedeutic phase and its own main phase.

From the onset of the bachelor's program, there is a focus on activities related to research. The curriculum is designed to instill a research-oriented, critical attitude in students. This critical approach is evident in students' work, papers, and – where applicable – final theses. Emphasis is placed on reflection, critical assessment, and the analysis of one's own and others' work in both historical and contemporary perspectives. To facilitate this, research is conducted to understand the process and motivation behind work created elsewhere and in the past.

At KABK, this research-oriented approach is introduced in the academy-wide preparatory class ''Research&Discourse''. It is also observed in later years in subjects such as fashion or photography criticism, and in numerous practical and studio assignments. In some departments, students initiate their own research, while others have established research groups.

The specialization Fine Arts (BA Autonomous Fine Arts) is also offered as a part-time program, and so is the specialization Photography (BA Design). Final qualifications of full-time and part-time programs are exactly the same, but have less contact hours than full-time programs, and thus require more independent work from students. The duration of the part-time programs in terms of calendar years depends on the time the student is able to spend on independent learning and possible exemptions that can be granted.

In addition, KABK offers various elective ''Individual Study Tracks'' (ISTs) which essentially serve as mini-departments. The goal of an IST is to facilitate new education and gauge the potential of programs to serve as future departments.

Fine Arts

4-years full-time or part-time bachelor's program that aims to align the past of fine art with its present and its future. The program covers a wide range of techniques and technologies relevant for the making of art, such as painting, drawing, printing, video, sculpture and performance.

The department is led by department co-heads Antoinette Vonder Mühll and Carl Johan Högberg. In addition, the department leadership consists of two coordinators, Collette Rayner and Wais Wardak.

The specialization Fine Arts is also offered as a part-time program. Also, in the same specialization, an opportunity is offered to selected students who successfully completed the propaedeutic phase to combine the program with the bachelor's degree program in Art History (Arts, Media and Society) of Leiden University. In this ''Combined Degree program'', study components of the main phase of the specialization Fine Art of the KABK with study components of the Art History program of Leiden University are combined into one shared program of 180 ECs. This leads to the student obtaining both a BA degree at the Royal Academy of Art and a BA degree at Leiden University.

= Faculty and

emeriti faculty

=

* Rachel Bacon
* Cecilia Bengtsson
* Maura Biava
* Channa Boon
* Dina Danish
* Esiri Erheriene-Essi
* Irene Drooglever Fortuijn
* Carl Johan Högberg
* Bram de Jonghe
* Winnie Koekelbergh
* André Kruysen
* Frank Lisser
* Tatjana Macić
* Vibeke Mascini
* Sanja Medić
* Xue Mu
* Jonas Ohlsson
* Femmy Otten
* Jorrit Paaijmans
* Maria Pask
* Antonis Pittas
* David Powell
* Thomas Raat
* Ewoud van Rijn
* Onno Schilstra
* Leonie Schneider
* Elly Strik
* Agnieszka Wodzińska

Graphic Design

4-years full-time bachelor's program that aims to equip students to become a critical thinker and versatile practitioner who can develop outstanding concepts for visual communication. The program covers a wide range of techniques and technologies, such as design, interaction, image, coding and typography. The design department is internationally known for its high level of education, its investigative and conceptual teaching approach, and excellence in the fields of typeface design and typography.

The department is led by department co-heads Lauren Alexander and Chantal Hendriksen.

Global faculty and emeriti faculty

* Peter Biľak
* Erik van Blokland
* Gert Dumbar
* Gijs Bakker
* Mitch Paone
* Adam Broomberg
* Oliver Chanarin
* Rob Hornstra
* Donald Weber
* Kees Bol
* Jacobus Josephus Eeckhout