The institution was founded on January 1, 1882, as the "School of Fine Arts" by the renowned Turkish painter Osman Hamdi Bey, an art historian, archeologist, and museum curator. Being the first of its kind in Turkey, education in fine arts and architecture began on March 2, 1883, with eight instructors and 20 students. In 1914, the school became co-educational. The school was converted in 1928 to an academy, the first academy in Turkey, and its name was changed to "State Academy of Fine Arts." In 1969, this was renamed to "Istanbul State Academy of Fine Arts" (İstanbul Devlet Güzel Sanatlar Akademisi). On July 20, 1982, its status was changed, and the academy became "Mimar Sinan University" after the great Ottoman-Armenian architect Mimar Sinan. Finally, in December 2003, the university's administration changed its name to "Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University."
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