FFA BUT in brief

A brief history of the Faculty

The Faculty of Fine Arts is a constituent part of Brno University of Technology. Local art communities had been advocating for the establishment of an art academy in Moravia since the early 18th century. The tradition of art education at BUT can be traced back to 1899 and the inception of the Institute of Drawing. The institute's first professor was painter Hanuš Schwaiger (1854–1912); after his departure for the Prague Academy, he was succeeded by Felix Jenewein (1857–1905). When the architectural studio gained independence in 1919, the training there was divided into figurative drawing and landscape drawing. Josef Šíma (1891–1971) and Jaroslav Král (1883–1942) also briefly contributed to its history. The post-war era opened a new chapter for the Brno Institute of Drawing and Modelling. Sculptor Vincenc Makovský (1900–1966) was appointed associate professor of modelling in 1945. He established his studio in the building on Rybářská Street in Old Brno, which later served as the home of the Faculty of Fine Arts from 1993 until November 2016. The Faculty is now located in the historic buildings of Brno's former German Technical University at 53 Údolní Street.

The idea of a Moravian art college had surfaced several times during the 20th century. After 1989, despite an initial lack of coordination, several groups of intellectuals and artists in Brno revisited it. The decisive initiative came from the re-established artistic association Sdružení Q, with the Dean of the Faculty of Architecture, Ivan Ruller, playing a pivotal role. In 1992, Professor Ivan Ruller founded the Institute of Drawing and Modelling within the Faculty of Architecture at BUT. This became the foundation of the Faculty of Fine Arts, which officially began operating on 1 January 1993. Professor and sculptor Vladimír Preclík was elected its first dean. FFA BUT launched a degree programme in fine arts with the following fields of study: sculpture, painting, drawing and printmaking, visual communication design, process-concept-action, and electronic multimedia creation (video art). The first cohort of 45 students was educated across six studios.

The Sculpture Studio was headed by Professor Vladimír Preclík, the Painting Studio by Associate Professor Miroslav Štolfa, the Process-Concept-Action Studio by Associate Professor Dalibor Chatrný, the Studio of Visual Communications Design by painter Jan Rajlich Sr., and the Video Art Studio by painter Radek Pilař. The sixth studio, the Drawing and Printmaking Studio, was led by painter Ivan Kříž, who was subsequently replaced by James Janíček. After the departure of Associate Professor Štolfa, the Painting Studio was headed by painter Radoslav Kutra of Olomouc, and from 1995 by Professor Jiří Načeradský. Following the untimely death of Radek Pilař, the Video Art Studio was taken over by sculptor and performer Tomáš Ruller, who transformed it into the Video-Multimedia-Performance Studio. Later, Woody Vasulka, a Brno native and globally renowned pioneer of electronic media based in the United States, served as a visiting professor in the studio. After the departure of Associate Professor Dalibor Chatrný, Slovak conceptualist Professor Peter Rónai took over as head of the Conceptual Tendencies Studio. In the academic year 1994/95, a seventh studio joined the existing six – the Product Design Studio, led by sculptor Zdeněk Zdařil.

The Department of Art History and Theory was established by Professor Igor Zhoř, who also served as its first head. Subsequent heads of the department included Associate Professor PhDr. Josef Maliva, PhDr. Pavel Ondračka, Mgr. Blahoslav Rozbořil, Associate Professor PhDr. Petr Spielmann, and PhDr. Kaliopi Chamonikola, Ph.D. The current head of the department is Associate Professor Mgr. Jan Zálešák, Ph.D. Another significant figure associated with the Department of Art History and Theory since its inception is architectural theorist Professor PhDr. Jan Sedlák, CSc.

Prominent theorist Igor Zhoř succeeded Vladimír Preclík as dean in 1997. He broadened education in art theory and history in terms of both content and staffing. This expansion was reflected in the division of diploma theses into an artistic and a theoretical part; the latter was replaced by an oral examination only after 2010. Under Professor Zhoř, the Graphic Design Studio was incorporated into the Paper and Book Studio led by Associate Professor MVDr. Jiří H. Kocman, who remained its head until 2011. After the sudden death of Professor Igor Zhoř in 1998, Associate Professor Tomáš Ruller was elected dean and significantly broadened the range of specialisations within the study programme. In 1998 and 1999, he increased the number of studios to thirteen and recruited new teachers, including new media theorist Keiko Sei from Japan and American artist Barbara Benish, both of whom contributed to the Faculty's reforms. After Tomáš Ruller was prematurely dismissed from the position of dean by the academic senate of the Faculty, Professor PhDr. Jan Sedlák, CSc., held the office from 2000 to 2004, followed by Associate Professor PhDr. Petr Spielmann, dr.h.c., from 2004 to 2007. Both deans continued to develop the specialisations of the study programme. Professor and sculptor Michal Gabriel served as dean from 2007 to 2011, and MgA. Milan Houser from 2011 to 2018. In late 2016, the Faculty relocated to the historic premises of BUT at 53 Údolní Street. Associate Professor MgA. Filip Cenek took over as dean of FFA BUT in 2019.

The Faculty today

An art faculty within a technical university is unusual even internationally, and in the Czech Republic the model remains unique. The Faculty's disciplinary structure reflects this: teaching across its programmes integrates new technologies and seeks to bring art and technology together. Within the fields of fine art, applied art and contemporary tendencies, FFA BUT covers the full spectrum of the contemporary arts. The Department of Art History and Theory offers lectures in art history, aesthetics, philosophy and sociology, as well as elective courses tailored to the needs of individual studios. At present, the Faculty maintains 17 studios. The field of design is represented by Graphic Design Studios 1 and 2, the Product Design Studio and the Game Design Studio. The realm of intermedia and fine art is represented by the Environment Studio, Performance Studio, Video Studio, Intermedia Studio, Photography Studio, Multimedia Studio, Body Design Studio, Sculpture Studio, Spatial Design Studio, Painting Studios 1, 2 and 3, and the Drawing and Printmaking Studio. In 2019, FFA BUT established the Visiting Artists’ Studio: each semester, the Faculty invites an established artist from abroad to work with its students. The profiles of the invited artists vary, broadening the range of art and design education on offer. Students enrolled in Bachelor's, Master's and doctoral programmes may participate, and the Faculty also opens the Visiting Artists’ Studio to its graduates as a form of lifelong learning. Educational and technical support is provided by the Department of Audiovisual Technology, the Department of Design, the Department of Traditional Media (known as the Department of Evening Drawing until 2018) and the Department of 3D Technology, which also includes the 3D Studio, established in 2007 as the first of its kind in the Czech Republic.

FFA BUT offers a four-year Bachelor's programme, a two-year Master's programme and a four-year doctoral programme; since 2022/23, it has also offered a two-year Master's programme in English. On successful completion, students are awarded the internationally recognised degrees BcA. (Baccalaureus Artis), MgA. (Magister Artis) or Ph.D. The Faculty is a highly selective institution where the number of applicants is several times the number admitted each year. FFA BUT celebrated its first Master's graduates in 1998 and now has nearly eighteen hundred graduates of its Bachelor's (more than 875), Master's (869) and doctoral (47) programmes. Many graduates are active in the art scene in the Czech Republic and abroad. The Faculty maintains ties with a range of art faculties and academies through exchanges, collaborations and educational programmes. During their studies, students may consult teachers in any studio; they may also spend a semester in another studio as an internal placement or transfer there permanently. This helps them grasp how the disciplines interconnect and opens up alternative career paths. The curriculum emphasises not only mastery of craft and technology but also the conceptual and critical dimensions of artistic practice. Regular presentations of student work allow students to present their work publicly and to establish contacts with gallerists, curators and collectors. Significant support in this regard is provided by the FFA Gallery, a lively communication space for the emerging generation of artists and an experimental laboratory for open dialogue between the academic environment and the public.

[ See also Looking Back at 2019–2025 ]

Insignia

When the Faculty of Fine Arts of Brno University of Technology began operating on 1 January 1993, one of its first tasks was to establish a symbolic identity. Chief among such symbols are the insignia – emblems denoting the rank, dignity and authority of academic office-holders. They carry deep symbolism and tradition, and they serve as the primary representative elements of any faculty or university. The most revered academic insignia include the seal, the rector's and dean's maces, and honorary chains with accompanying medals.

The symbols of FFA BUT comprise the insignia, robes, a seal, fanfares and a logo; materials relating to them are held in the BUT Archives. On 18 January 1993, the Faculty's first dean, Vladimír Preclík, commissioned their creation. The insignia – a mace and ceremonial brooches for the dean and vice-deans – are distinctive in design. The mace combines vertical and horizontal elements, symbolising the confluence of rational and intuitive thought. Crowning its golden vertical shaft is a rock crystal, regarded as the purest and most powerful of stones. The mace is made of gilded brass, silver, rock crystal and ash wood. The dean's and vice-deans' ceremonial brooches, inspired by the art of the Great Moravian Empire, are circular; the dean's brooch has a diameter of 140 mm, the vice-deans' measure 110 mm. Each brooch bears the inscription ‘Fakulta výtvarných umění VUT v Brně’. Made of silver, gilded silver and lapis lazuli, the brooches serve as an alternative to the traditional honorary chains with medals and are affixed to the cotton lining of the robes. The insignia were designed by Lucie Nepasická and produced chiefly by the metalwork workshop of the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague, in collaboration with Soluna Praha, Truhlář & Patka, Radost and the stone-cutting workshop of Mr Haken.

At ceremonial academic events, the dean, vice-deans and beadle of the Faculty wear robes. These are long cloaks of blue woollen fabric with shawl collars and dark grey cotton linings; the dean's robe stands out with its silver-fringed collar. Accompanying the robes are dark grey, spiral-shaped caps culminating in a frontal shield, the dean's cap distinguished by a thin gold trim. The robes were designed by Monika Drápalová and made by PragStudia.

The Faculty's seal, from which its official stamp is derived, is round and bears the small state emblem of the Czech Republic, surrounded by the text ‘Vysoké učení technické v Brně’ and ‘Fakulta výtvarných umění’. The seal authenticates important documents and solemn acts establishing rights or obligations within the Faculty's remit. The stamp, made of rubber and used with black ink, comes in diameters of 20, 25 or 36 mm. The Faculty may have several such stamps made; each must be numbered sequentially and recorded, and their use is overseen by the dean.

Academic ceremonies at FFA BUT are accompanied by fanfares composed by renowned Brno composer and musicologist Miloš Štědroň. He wrote the current version for three trombones and percussion in 2020 at the dean's request, so that the fanfares could be performed live.