Royal Academy of Arts Vienna Lowers Admissions Standards

By Isaac Krone (1947)

Jan. 24, 2014

For nearly two hundred and fifty years, since our founding in 1698, it has been our goal to provide the greatest art education in the world to the most promising artists Europe has to offer. As an institution we consider the artistic achievements of our alumni to be our own, which is why we have throughout our history been highly selective with our admissions.

Recent affairs have called into question the prudence of our admissions policies, which have had disagreeable consequences for the Academy and its prospective students, reaching beyond our halls in unintended ways. The Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna wishes to recognize that art exists in the soul of every man, and that art should be allowed to flourish regardless of anyone’s unfitness for painting. It has come to light that those who were denied admittance into our academy, in isolated cases, left art behind entirely, an act we cannot condone. Rarely, those ex-artists turned to the world of politics, a change whichthe international artistic community has frowned upon.

The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna assures past, present, and prospective students that it is in no way politically or ideologically aligned with any rejected prospective student or students. Recent adjustments in employment policies made by rejected applicants also did not reflect the will of the academy. We pride ourselves on being inclusive of all artists, regardless of ethnicity, religion, ideology, and, henceforth, skill.

To prevent further incident, the Academy is revising its policy on admissions to better serve those who seek an education in the fine arts. Developments in both the artistic and world communities are reshaping the way we think about art, the extent to which one needs a steady hand or eye for color in order to produce art, and the consequences of rejection. The Academy now wishes to admit students based not entirely on their artistic ability but on their desire to become an artist, lack of otherwise marketable skills, and their ability to possibly harm society if denied. This is undoubtedly the best course for the Academy to take if it is to avoid fuehrer conflicts of interest.