The 15 Best Art Schools in Paris


 

Originally published by Jordan in August 2021, Updated by Charity K in April 2023, and by Vanessa M in September 2023.

Paris has been a haven for artists and creatives for centuries, and this aspect remains in the city today. Living in Paris is often like living in art, from the parks to the architecture to the museums, to the simple yet beautiful light that seems to bathe the city; art is everywhere in Paris. So it’s no wonder that Paris is home to some excellent art schools, and we’ve rounded up the top contenders. Here’s a guide to the best art schools in Paris. 

Read more about other top universities here.

1. Les Beaux Arts de Paris

Photo courtesy of Les Beaux Arts de Paris – Sourced from their official website

Les Beaux-Arts de Paris is one of the best art schools in Paris and is fittingly situated in the heart of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Founded in the 17th century by Louis XIV, the academy has made a name for itself throughout the years and established itself as one of the most well-respected art schools in the world. 

Today, Les Beaux Arts is still one of the most prestigious art schools in the world, and the admission rates reflect this. They offer both undergrad, graduate, and continuing education programs focused on the fine arts: drawing, painting, sculpting, etc. This school focuses on both theoretical and hands-on instruction, preparing students for careers related to the arts and design. 

les beaux arts – 14 Rue Bonaparte, 75006 Paris
metro station: saint-germain-des-prés

Read more about other top universities here.

2. Paris College of Art

Photo courtesy of Paris College of Art – Sourced from their Instagram

Paris College of Art is an international art college located in the heart of the city, in Paris’ lively 10th arrondissement. And Paris College of Art definitely deserves a mention among the best art schools in Paris. They offer a wide variety of art degree and certificate programs as well as summer exchanges and study abroad options. 

Paris College of Art is accredited in the USA, which means that your degree would be recognized both in France and the United States. Undergraduate programs include fashion design, fine arts, interior design, photography, and communication design. Graduate offerings are a bit more varied and include programs focusing on drawing, photography and image-making, interior design, and design for social contact among others. 

PCA also offers several year-long certificate programs for those wishing to further develop their expertise in a certain domain such as photography, interior design, fashion design, etc. 

Paris College of Art – 15 rue Fénelon 75010 Paris, France
metro station: gare du Nord

3. Ecole de Condé

Photo courtesy of Ecole de Condé – Sourced from their official website

Situated in the 15th arrondissement just behind Place Cambronne is the Ecole de Condé Paris: one of the best art schools in Paris. The school offers degree programs focusing on design, illustration and animation, photography and moving images, and cultural heritage restoration.  Ecole de Condé offers both bachelor’s and master’s programs depending on the major you choose. 

Ecole de Condé has over a dozen campuses around Europe and across France, but the Paris campus is one of the most impressive. And definitely the most modern art school in Paris. Having undergone a total renovation in 2014, the 5,400 square meter Paris campus is fully equipped with the latest technology and provides an intuitive learning environment. 

ecole de condé – 7 Rue Cambronne, Paris, France
metro station: cambronne

4. The American University of Paris

Photo courtesy of the American University of Paris – Sourced from their website

As an AUP alum myself, I was a bit surprised to be adding this one to my list of the best art schools in Paris. But after further research, it definitely deserves a place in this guide. Located just a stone’s throw from the Eiffel Tower in Paris’ 7th arrondissement, the American University of Paris is a one-of-a-kind school in Paris.

And as the name implies, AUP is truly an American university with an American academic approach. An undergraduate degree takes 4 years to complete, and the first two years are usually general studies and elective subjects chosen by the student, before declaring their major. 

AUP offers undergraduate programs with majors in Art History, Fine Arts, Film Studies, and Creative Writing. In addition, it’s possible to add minors in other subjects – related or not. That’s the beauty of the American system compared to the more typically rigid European style. 

The AUP student body is made up of over 130 nationalities, and the list of clubs and extracurriculars is truly impressive here. There are even school sports, which is almost unheard of in Paris!

the american university of paris – 5 Bd de la Tour-Maubourg, 75007 Paris
metro station: ecole militaire or la tour maubourg

5. Parsons Paris 

Photo courtesy of Parsons Paris – sourced from their official website

Parsons Paris The New School is one of the more famous places on this list, thanks to the notoriety of the original campus in NYC. But Parsons Paris is an incredible art school, certainly one of the best in Paris. 

Parsons Paris was established in 1921 in the 1st arrondissement of Paris and is actually one of the city’s longest-standing art schools. They offer both undergraduate and graduate degree programs as well as summer programs across a variety of artistic disciplines, though they are most well-known for fashion design. 

At Parsons Paris, you can pursue a degree in Fashion Design, Fashion Studies, Strategic Design, or Art, Media, and Technology. The student life at Parsons is also a great aspect of this art school. With a small student body and a campus in central Paris, the community is tight-knit and there are plenty of extracurricular clubs and activities organized by the school. 

Read more about other top universities here.

6. Marbella Design Academy

It is a unique academy that was founded by Helle Byrn, a Danish designer in 1995. It is located in downtown Marbella. The school is friendly with students and staff working closely to achieve academic goals. In actual fact, it is referred a home-away-from-home environment. The school admits students from over 70 countries making it an international school. The university has an intensive cover of courses that ranks high in the world.

7. Pierre and Marie Curie University

It was founded by a husband and wife Pierre and Marie Curie. The university requires only admission requirements for students to be enrolled. The university is based in Paris, Jussieu, in Latin Quarter.

PIERRE AND MARIE CURIE UNIVERSITY – 5TH ARRONDISSEMENT OF PARIS, FRANCE.

8. Paris Dederot University

The university was founded by members of the higher education and research alliance Sorbonne Paris Cité. 

PARIS DEDEROT UNIVERSITY – 5 Rue Thomas Mann, 75013 Paris, France

9. National Advanced School of Engineering

The school is best known for arts though it is also an engineering school that ranks 23rd in France. It is known for its many publications. Apart from the main campus, it has branches in the following places “This institution also has branch campuses in Aix-en-Provence, Angers, Bastia, Châlons-en-Champagne, Cluny, Le Bourget-du-Lac, Lille, Metz, and Talence. Officially recognized by the Ministère de l’Enseignement supérieur, de la Recherche et de l’Innovation, France (Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation of France), Arts et Métiers ParisTech.”

NATIONAL ADVANCED SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING – 147, BOULEVARD DE I’Hôpital
Paris

10. Paris Dauphine University

USGS Landsat, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

It is among the best public universities in Paris with various programs. Additionally, their Art and Design are what made the university famous. It was founded on October 24, 1968. Since then, it has expanded to become one of the best in Arts and Design. This fact has attracted international students who in return have made the university one of the best in France.

PARIS DAUPHINE UNIVERSITY – PI.DU MAPl. du Maréchal de Lattre de Tassigny, 75016 Paris, France

11. Académie de la Grande Chaumiere

Wikimedia Commons / Mu, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Académie de la Grande Chaumière founded in 1904 is one of Paris’s oldest art schools. The university was a forerunner in its field. In an era when art was riddled with restrictions, mostly prescribed by France’s École des Beaux-Arts, the Académie de la Grande Chaumière stood out by encouraging art free of the constraints imposed by aesthetic principles and guidelines. The institute, which runs in a rustic structure in Paris’s Montparnasse area, is still regarded as one of the top art schools in the city.

Académie de la Grande Chaumiere- 14 Rue de la Grande Chaumière, 75006 Paris, France

12. Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs

The Ecole Nationale Superieure des Arts Decoratifs (ENSAD), a public grande école of art and design in Paris, is a part of PSL Research University. The school provides internationally acclaimed instruction in a variety of artistic fields including animation, photography, and scenography.

Jean-Paul Goude, former art director of Esquire, and Golden Lion winner Annette Messager are among the school’s famous alumni. The school is located on Rue d’Ulm in Paris, and French idioms such as “to have frequented the street of Ulm” or “to have done Ulm” are used to allude to Ecole Nationale Superieure students.

National School of Decorative Arts (Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs)-31 Rue d’Ulm, 75005 Paris, France

13. Paris-Sorbonne University

New York-air, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Sorbonne University provides a diverse range of courses ranging from bachelor’s to doctoral degrees in the arts, humanities, science, and engineering, as well as medical and paramedical degrees. It provides single or multiple academic programs that allow students to create tailored career paths based on their profile, abilities, and professional goals.

For more information on all About Paris’ School of Fine Arts click here

1 Rue Victor Cousin, 75005 Paris, France

14. Atelier de Sèvres

The reputation of Atelier de Sèvres has been established on the results of its students in the competitive tests for the major art schools for more than 40 years. Atelier de Sèvres is the only preparatory school that publishes school-by-school verifiable, thorough, and data-backed outcomes.

It gets the highest admission rates to major French and foreign schools. The school’s strong reputation is also due to its open-minded approach and rigorous training, as well as the conducive learning environment and welcoming ambiance of its buildings.

Atelier de Sèvres-47 Rue de Sèvres, 75006 Paris, France

15. École Boulle – HESAM Université

Do you wish to attend a school of arts and design? École Boulle might be a good fit for your professional project. It was founded in 1886 in Paris to teach furniture specialists. In addition to art, the school is steadily expanding its curriculum to include design and interior architecture courses.

LPLT, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Its training mixes classical skills with cutting-edge technology in applied art and design. It provides its students with a diverse cultural life as well as an opportunity to immerse themselves in the professional world throughout their studies.

Click here for the best international schools in Paris

École Boulle – HESAM Université-9-21 Rue Pierre Bourdan, 75012 Paris, France

Why Paris has the Best Art Schools

France may be at the top of many people’s lists of possible destinations for an art education. This is because a French education provides much more than just education. One of the main reasons an art student might desire to attend a French art school is to get a better education.

Photo by RDNE Stock project from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-man-and-a-woman-painting-on-a-canvas-5757077/

Attending a French art institute will provide more access to outstanding artists who can pass on their knowledge. There will be more options for mentorship and specialized training with such a huge art group. This can provide you with an advantage in skill improvement. France is one of the best destinations to study art because of its rich artistic and architectural past. That history includes great painters and artwork from numerous schools of art, in addition to contemporary art.

Ginevrajocosa88, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

This is beneficial since successful contemporary artists today must have a broad understanding and appreciation of art history, encompassing many styles and techniques. France also gives students a chance to enjoy some of the best art and architecture in some of the most famous museums and art galleries which prepares their minds and body for the creative process.

So now you know some of the best art schools in Paris! I hope you enjoyed this little guide, and see you soon in Paris!

Read also : Find out more about Paris walking tours– a good way to discover Paris.

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