The history the of New York University Institute of Fine Arts started in 1831 when NY Varsity was established. Well-known painter and inventor of the telegram Samuel F. B. Morse was the 1st Professor of Fine Humanities at Manhattan University. He taught his students the practice of art and trained them to study and understand its history. When the young designer and scholar Fiske Kimball was designated the Professor of the Literature of the Humanities of Design in 1922, he set up a program at the varsity focusing solely on art history. Though he was ignorant of it at the time, he was laying the groundwork for what would sometime become one of the most renowned schools specializing in the fine humanities.

Named the New York University Institute of Fine Arts in 1937, the IFA is one of fourteen divisions at New York University. Thanks partly to its glorious faculty and close relationships with many of New York\’s museums, the Institute is considered one of the very finest graduate faculties in the discipline of art history. The IFA received its highest praise in 1973 when the National Endowment for the Humanities celebrated the Institute as an outstanding leader in the historical training and grant of art.

The IFA offers Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in art history, archeology, conservation, and curatorial studies. Not only will the IFA offer its students the very best in fine art education, but the Institute also offers many different events and programs to the general public across the academic year. A few of these programs include an annual lecture series, symposia, and meetings that cover a wide variety of various topics, genres, and time periods.

Found in the culture-rich Higher East Side of Manhattan since 1931, the IFA is easily reached by public transportation and is in close proximity to Central Park. The Institute is situated along New York\’s Museum Mile, making it very handy for students and visitors to view and appreciate many alternative galleries, all at a close distance.

The New York University Institute of Fine Arts in NY has a rich, entrenched history that only continues to grow. With its great location and exceptional reputation, it is one of NY City\’s best treasures.