The Hungarian University of Fine Arts (Hungarian: Magyar Képzőművészeti Egyetem, MKE) is the central Hungarian art school in Budapest, Andrássy Avenue. It was founded in 1871 as the Hungarian Royal Drawing School (Magyar Királyi Mintarajztanoda) and has been called University of Fine Arts since 2001.
Until the mid-19th century, Hungarian artists were learning fine arts in Western European academies. The National Society of Hungarian Fine Arts (Országos Magyar Képzőművészeti Társulat) founded in 1861 was initiating the establishment of a Hungarian school of fine arts. Owing to this movement the Hungarian Royal Drawing School and Art Teachers’ College (Magyar Királyi Mintarajztanoda és Rajztanárképezde) was opened in 1871. The present-day building of the university was built in 1877, designed by Alajos Rauscher and Adolf Lang.
In later decades, the school developed programs for training not only painters and sculptors, but artist-craftsmen, mosaic- and gobelin-makers, stage designers, costumers, and restorers. Numerous prominent Hungarian artists taught there, including the painters Károly Ferenczy, János Vaszary, Viktor Olgyai, Róbert Berény, Aurél Bernáth, Jenő Barcsay, and Márta Lacza; sculptor Béni Ferenczy and other notable artists.
Barcsay-hall (Barcsay-terem) is the biggest gallery to exhibit the student's and foreign's artworks. But you will find four other smaller places to show the artworks.