Among those who have been members are Michelangelo, Lazzaro Donati, Francesco da Sangallo, Bronzino, Benvenuto Cellini, Giorgio Vasari, Bartolomeo Ammannati, and Giambologna.

The first Accademia delle Arti del Disegno was founded by Cosimo I de' Medici on 13 January 1563, under the influence of Giorgio Vasari.

[citation needed] Since the statute of 1978 the Accademia delle Arti del Disegno has been divided into five classes: painting, sculpture, architecture, history of art and humanities and sciences.

Notable members of the Accademia include Sandro Chia, Hans Erni and Anselm Kiefer in painting;[5] Arnaldo Pomodoro, Giuliano Vangi and Dani Karavan in sculpture;[6] Massimo Carmassi and Paolo Portoghesi in architecture;[7] David Whitehouse in history of art;[8] and Salvatore Accardo and Carlo Ginzburg in humanities and sciences.

[10] Past Accademici d'Onore include Giulio Andreotti, Alberto Ronchey, the Nobel Prize winner Rita Levi-Montalcini, and Jørn Utzon.