Founded in 1980, NABA, Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti, with campus in Milan and in Rome, is the largest art academy in Italy. Since 1981 NABA is legally recognised by the Higher Education in Art and Music system (AFAM, Alta Formazione Artistica e Musicale), regulated by the Ministry of University and Research (MUR). As a recognised Academy, NABA offers in its two campus in Milan and Rome academic diplomas equivalent to first and second level university degrees in the fields of design, fashion design, graphics and communication, multimedia arts, new technologies, set design, visual arts. The Academy was founded by Ausonio Zappa in Milan in 1980 with the involvement of Guido Ballo and Tito Varisco during a first phase, later attracting to its faculty artists such as Gianni Colombo and many others, the idea being to abandon rigorous academic traditions and instead introduce new visions and languages based on contemporary artistic and professional practice. For the 2023 edition and for the third year in a row, QS World University Rankings® by Subject named NABA as the first and only Italian Academy of Fine Arts among the 100 best universities in the Art & Design field. This achievement confirms the excellence of the Academy's distinctive didactic methodology, revolving around a strong vocation for research and for the constant relationship with the artistic and professional context.
Currently the courses are attended by more than 5,000 students from all over Italy and from over 80 international countries in Milan and Rome Capus. The continued success of NABA is based on the multidisciplinary approach of all its programs and relies upon a well-balanced combination of theory taught by distinguished professionals and practical work with leading companies and studios.