Academy of Art University

The Academy of Art University (ART U), formerly Academy of Art College and Richard Stephens Academy of Art, is a private for-profit art school in San Francisco, California. It was founded as the Academy of Advertising Art by Richard S. Stephens in 1929. In fall 2023, it had 126 full-time teachers, 492 part-time teaching staff, and 6,786 students; it claims to be the largest privately owned art and design school in the United States. The school is one of the largest property owners in San Francisco, with the main campus located on New Montgomery Street in the South of Market district. History It was founded in 1929 as Académie of Advertising Art, a school for advertising art, at 215 Kearny Street. The founder, Richard S. Stephens, a painter and editor for Sunset Magazine, led it until 1951 when his son Richard A. Stephens took over. In 1992, Stephens was replaced by his daughter, Elisa Stephens. Under her presidency, student numbers increased to 18,000 by 2011. The university owns and operates the Academy of Art University Automobile Museum with 200 vintage cars, a collection that started in the 1990s. The school has been participating in the NY Fashion Week event bi-annually since 2005. Every year, the university hosts a spring show that highlights student work from the school's 75 disciplines.