Academy of Fine Arts Vienna

The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna is one of Europe's oldest art schools, tracing its roots to 1692. The current building at Schillerplatz is a centrepiece of Vienna's Ringstrasse era: Theophil Hansen — the Danish-Greek architect who also designed the Austrian Parliament — completed this Neorenaissance edifice in 1876 for Emperor Franz Joseph I, its façade quoting the formal language of the High Renaissance with round-arched windows, pilasters, and terracotta ornament. A detail that has passed into world history: Adolf Hitler applied to the academy in 1907 and again in 1908, and was rejected both times. The admissions committee found his draughtsmanship serviceable but his figure drawing lacking. The academy holds a notable Gemäldegalerie with works from the 14th to 19th centuries, including Hieronymus Bosch's triptych 'The Last Judgement' — one of the most significant Old Master collections in Austria.