School of Visual Arts (SVA)

American art school / Twinned with the Higher National School of Decorative Arts in Paris under the Foundation’s Franco-American exchange programme (2010).

Founded in 1947 by two graphic artists — Burne Hogarth (of the cartoon Tarzan) and Silas Rhodes –  the prestigious School of Visual Arts in New York was originally called the Cartoonists’ and Illustrators’ School before taking on its current appellation.  Over the last half-century the establishment has indeed changed considerably, moving well beyond the field of pure graphic design  to encompass all aspects of education in the fine and applied arts.  Today the school not only teaches draughtsmanship and painting, it also offers courses in graphic arts, design, interior architecture, photography, animation and so on.   Over the four years of a degree course, students can also take complementary studies in art criticism, writing about art, and computer-assisted design.  The school is based in several buildings in Manhattan

One of its most impressive aspects is the number of well-known lecturers it has consistently been able to attract, from Milton Glaser – who designed the famous I Love NY logo in the 1970s – to Art Siegelman, Pulitzer prize winner in 1992 for his graphic novel on the holocaust Maus. The school has also had its fair share of famous alumni (and not just in the field of graphic arts)  such as the illustrator Jessica Abel (La Perdida) and the actor-musician Jared Leto.