The Academy of Fine Arts is the oldest national training center for artists in Austria. Since April 1, 1877 the Academy is housed in the building located at the Schillerplatz in the 1st district of Vienna.
The construction of the new building for the academy was approved in 1871 in connection with the construction of the Ringstrasse. The clearly structured building with the tower-like projections
 at the corners, surmounting the four-storey main volume, is regarded as one of the main works Theophil Hansen. The building is not located directly at the famous Vienna Ringstrasse,
but is distanced from it by the square in front of it. The internal structure is maintained in easily interpretable by the independent structure of the auditorium within the single courtyard.
Fronting the Makartgasse is located the monument by Josef Hoffmann, depicting Otto Wagner, the most famous professor of this architectural school.
On April 3, 1877, the ceremonial opening of the new building was held in the presence of Emperor Franz Joseph I, although the artistic decoration of the interior lasted until 1892.
 The ceiling paintings in the auditorium were realized by the artist Anselm Feuerbach.