Founded in 1781, it was the first art academy in the Americas.

It occupied a building that was previously the Hospital of Amor de Dios. 

At that time, the king donated a magnificent collection of plaster replicas of classical sculptures to the Academy. Some of these copies can still be appreciated today in its elegant central courtyard framed by arcades and covered by a large glass dome.

It has a beautiful library and an impressive collection of works by renowned artists such as Rubens, Dürer, Rembrandt, Giovanni Battista Piranesi, Goya, Diego Velázquez, José María Velasco, Rufino Tamayo, and Diego Rivera, among others.