Technical Art School

• Established: 1876
• Closed: 1883
• Japanese: 工部美術学校 (koubu bijutsu gakkou)

The Technical Art School, or Kôbu Bijutsu Gakkô, was Japan's first academy of Western art. Instructors were brought over from Europe to teach Japanese students drawing, painting, sculpture, and other technical arts skills. Many of the most prominent Japanese artists of the Meiji period studied there during the brief seven years of its operation.

The school was first opened on November 6, 1876, on the grounds of the Imperial College of Technology. Instructors included the Italian painter Antonio Fontanesi and the Italian sculptor Vincenzo Ragusa.

Students included Yamamoto Hôsui, Asai Chû, and many others.

References

• Matsushima Masato, "Japan's Dream of Modern Art," Remaking Tradition: Modern Art of Japan from the Tokyo National Museum. Cleveland Museum of Art (2014), 20-21.