The Accademia (Academy) originates from the "Accademia di San Luca", born at the end of the sixteenth century and became the papal seat for artistic studies. At that time it was a prestigious meeting place for artists and at the same time an educational model to be imitated for similar developing institutions. With the Unity of Italy and with Rome as the capital, there was a need to initiate a reform of art education that would respond to the needs of the young Italian state. A slow process followed which gave birth to didactic typologies oriented towards cultural research and professionalism linked to industrial and artisanal development. The Academy first took the name of "Regia Accademia di Belle Arti denominata di San Luca" (Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Luca), then "Istituto di Belle Arti" (Institute of Fine Arts) and finally defined itself according to the current version "Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma" (Academy of Fine Arts of Rome). The historic complex that houses its premises in Via di Ripetta, traditionally called "The horseshoe", was built in the 1840s as a residential building and was adapted to the headquarters of the Academy with the addition of rooms designed specifically for the "Scuola Libera del Nudo" (Free School of Nude).