Beijing Fine Art Academy (original name was Chinese Fine Art Academy in Beijing), is a professional art academy which was first established in new China and has the largest scale. In 1956, in the Second National Committee of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, famous painters Ye Gongzhuo and Chen Banding put forward a proposal together. This proposal was about “building a special organization to research Chinese painting”, and was paid great attention by Party and state leaders. On July 1st in the same year, Premier Zhou Enlai hosted a State Council conference. In this conference, the report and implementation plan of “an art academy would be respectively built in Beijing and Shanghai”, which was put forward by Ministry of Culture, was approved. After one-year preparatory work by Chinese Fine Art Academy Preparatory Committee, Chinese Fine Art Academy in Beijing was formally established on May 14th, 1957. Premier Zhou and more than 300 celebrities in cultural circle and fine arts circle like Guo Moruo, Lu Dingyi and Shen Yanbing attended the establishment meeting. Premier Zhou made a speech, and made regulations that Fine Art Academy was an academic organization to create, research, cultivate talents, develop the arts and strengthen the culture exchange with foreign countries. 　　

　　At the beginning of the establishment of Chinese Fine Art Academy in Beijing, the painters were directly engaged by Ministry of Culture. There were lots of famous painters like Qi Baishi, Ye Gongzhuo, Chen Banding, Yu Feian, Xu Yansun, Wang Xuetao, Hu Peiheng, Wu Jingting, Qin Zhongwen, Wang Shensheng, Guan Songfang, Hui Xiaotong, Wu Guangyu and so on. As a maestro, Qi Baishi was engaged as Honorary Director. Ye Gongzhuo was the Director, and Chen Banding, Yu Feian, Xu Yansun were appointed as Vice-Director. 　　

　　In 1965, the academy absorbed other artistic forms like oil painting, sculpture and print. And the name “Chinese Fine Art Academy in Beijing” was replaced by “Beijing Fine Art Academy”.
　　Since the Reform and Opening, Beijing Fine Art Academy began the second splendid period in creating, publishing, researching and teaching. In this period, many exhibitions of Beijing Fine Art Academy were held both home and aboard. The works of Beijing Fine Art Academy gained various awards in international exhibitions. The publication of Beijing Fine Art Academy called Chinese Painting was republished. The education scope was expanding gradually. Generally speaking, the academy has become more and more prosperous. 　　

　　In 1981, Beijing Fine Art Academy engaged 16 famous painters as out-painters of Beijing Fine Art Academy (no need to work in Academy).They were Wu Zuoren, Li Keran, Li Kuchan, Jiang Zhaohe, Ye Qianyu, Huang Yongyu, Huang Zhou, Dong Shouping, Wu Guanzhong, Bai Xueshi, Tian Shiguang, Cui Zifan, Yu Zhizhen, Zhang Ting, Liu Lingcang, Zhao Fengchuan. 　　

　　In 1985, concerned by Deng Xiaoping, Beijing Fine Art Academy moved to new place in Tuanjiehu.

　　In September 1999, in order to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the academy held “Exhibition of famous Chinese painters in modern times”. Party and state leaders like Jiang Zemin, Li Peng, Zhu Rongji, Li Ruihuan, Hu Jintao, Wei Jianxing and Li Lanqing successively visited the collections of the academy.

　　In September 2000, Jia Qinglin, member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee，Secretary of Beijing Municipal Party Committee investigated in our academy in person. He approved the establishment of the underground collection room, he also approved the special funds for collecting artworks

　　January 26th, 2002, Li Ruihuan, Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, Chairman of the National Committee of the CPPCC visited the excellent collections of Qi Baishi, Yu Fei, Chen Banding. He also gave enough attention and great support to artwork collection and preparatory work for building Art Museum.

October 25th,2007, Art Department of Culture Ministry, Beijing Fine Art Academy and Chinese Fine Art Academy in Shanghai hosted an exhibition named “Brilliant Work of the Times——Exhibition of Beijing Fine Art Academy and Chinese Painting Institute of Shanghai during 50 years” .This exhibition opened with a ceremonious inauguration in National Art Museum of China. January 26th, 2007, it was exhibited again in Shanghai Art Museum. Party and state leaders like Jia Qinglin, Li Ruihuan, Li Changchun, Liu Qi, Zhang Siqing, Wang Zhongyu, Du Qinglin, Deng Wantong, Zhou Heping, Sun Anmin, Yang Anjiang successively visited the exhibition.

Leaders of Beijing Municipal People's Government and Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism  high attention to the work of Beijing Fine Art Academy. They gave great support to the infrastructure, artistic creation, works exhibition, academic discussion, project planning of large-scale activities and collection of art works of Beijing Fine Art Academy.

There are lots of talented persons in Beijing Fine Art Academy. Totally, more than 120 painters stayed here. They made great contribution to the prosperity and development of the socialist artistic creating. In the last decades, tens of thousands works created by our painters have been published or showed in exhibitions, and have wide impact at home and abroad. Beijing Fine Art Academy have cultivated thousands of professional fine arts talents. The works by students of Beijing Fine Art Academy were selected to take part in national fine art exhibitions and other exhibitions aboard and many of them were rewarded or collected by museums home or aboard..

　　Beijing Fine Art Academy sponsors a large-scale academic magazine named Chinese Painting. It totally published 70 issues，including large amount of Chinese paintings and millions of academic research essaies. It was published over more than 60 countries and areas. This magazine plays an active role in carrying forward national culture and traditional, promoting the creation and theoretical research of contemporary Chinese painting and improving the status and influence of Chinese painting in international painting field.

　　In September of 2005, with the great support from leaders of Beijing Municipal People's Government and Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, Art Museum of Beijing Fine Art Academy was founded, with Qi Baishi Memorial as a branch. This memorial exhibits Qi Baishi’s works all the year. With the guidance of the literature policy from the Party, the museum will organize more and more colorful cultural activities. We have established an artistic platform for publicizing modern Chinese painting, spreading Chinese traditional culture.