Milano Painting Academy
The Academy of doing
"Unlike other institutions, which favour a teaching method biased towards theory, Milano Painting Academy puts DOING back at the centre of the experience, teaching how to produce art with a very clear idea: drawing is a planning and fact-finding process, and not a purely aesthetic experience."
A strong identity
Under the artistic direction of Nicola Verlato — one of the most prominent contemporary artists on the international scene — the Milano Painting Academy stands out for its clear and ambitious vision: to place technique back at the heart of artistic education as an essential foundation of painting practice.
In the MPA method — developed and refined with Verlato’s direct contribution — the rigorous study of drawing, ornamentation, and color is never an end in itself, but becomes a tool for design and understanding: a starting point for building a solid, cultured, and personal visual language.
The Academy’s goal is to train conscious artists, capable of engaging with the great European figurative tradition and the challenges of the contemporary world.
Drawing and Painting every day
Guided by Nicola Verlato and the esteemed faculty of the Milano Painting Academy, students experience the atmosphere of a Renaissance workshop every day — a space for work, dialogue, and continuous learning.
The teaching approach is rooted in the daily practice of drawing and painting from life, either in natural light or under controlled lighting setups, within an environment designed to foster individual artistic growth.
Each lesson is a deep dive into both tradition and contemporaneity, where constant interaction with master artists allows students to acquire strong technical skills and develop their own personal vision.
Today, MPA is a unique point of reference in Italy for those seeking serious training in figurative art.
Scientific Patronage by the Maimeri Foundation
“If we want the arts to continue to be able to recount and represent our history and our nature, aspirations and conflicts, we must equip ourselves with tools that allow us to deal with a plurality of languages, signs, styles. Only in this way will our artistic and cultural identity not be a limit and will be perceived as an enrichment for everyone.”
Gianni Maimeri, Chair of the Maimeri Foundation, CEO Industrie Maimeri S.p.A
The MPA Method
The MPA method is founded on a clear principle: drawing is not merely an aesthetic gesture, but a design and cognitive process, essential to the practice of painting.
It sets itself apart both from contemporary academies—which often marginalize figurative language—and from traditional French academic methods (such as the Bargue-Gerome approach), offering instead a dynamic and active method that places hands-on practice at the core of artistic training.
The goal of the course is not merely to teach faithful representation of reality, but to guide students toward the ability to construct complex and structured images, capable of sparking the imagination and generating meaning.
Painting composition thus becomes the culmination of a conscious process, in which drawing, painting, and visual thinking merge into a personal and powerful language.
An open training cycle
The MPA teaching method is designed to offer maximum flexibility and accessibility: the open-enrollment format allows students to join the course at any time of the year, immediately becoming part of the active working group.
There are no classes or academic year divisions — each student receives continuous, one-on-one guidance from the faculty, stroke by stroke, brushstroke by brushstroke, following a personalized path that respects their individual pace and potential.
This educational approach reflects the spirit of the traditional workshop, where learning arises from practice, dialogue, and daily presence in the studio.
In fact, the MPA method does not rely on class levels or academic years: all students are directly and continuously mentored by instructors as they paint, brushstroke after brushstroke.
A space designed for painting
In the heart of the Stadera district, the Milano Painting Academy has transformed a multifunctional space into a place entirely dedicated to figurative painting. The environment, completely renovated, was designed to ensure optimal natural light — a key element of the MPA method, which emphasizes daily practice and drawing from life with live models.
The location was chosen with purpose: it reflects the desire to bring artistic excellence into a working-class neighborhood, in line with the social and cultural mission of the Maimeri Foundation, which has always promoted access to beauty and high-quality art education.
The space hosts academic courses, seminars, workshops, exhibitions, and cultural events, and was conceived to become a point of reference not only for young talents, professionals, and enthusiasts, but also for the cultural fabric of the city.
Milan, capital of contemporary art
We chose Milan because it is the Italian city that more than any other combines innovation, cultural openness, and an international outlook. A place where art lives in constant dialogue with contemporaneity, thanks to the presence of major museums, foundations, galleries, and some of the most prestigious public and private collections in Europe.
Milan represents the beating heart of the contemporary art system in Italy—a creative and productive crossroads where artists, curators, collectors, and institutions build an active and dynamic network.
It is in this fertile environment that the Milano Painting Academy was born and continues to grow: an art school that looks to the future, deeply rooted in the figurative tradition, yet perfectly integrated into the most advanced cultural fabric of the country.
