It was founded on 26 September 1769 by Maria Teresa Cybo-Malaspina, duchess of Massa and princess of Carrara; but its origins go back to 1757, when, on the advice of the sculptor Giovanni Domenico Olivieri [it], she founded the Accademia di San Ceccardo in which sculpture, architecture and painting were to be taught.

[2] To house it, she commissioned Filippo del Medico to design and build a new building (which is now the Biblioteca Civica); in 1807, by order of Elisa Bonaparte Baciocchi, the accademia was moved the Palazzo del Principe.

[3]: 227 Like other state art academies in Italy, it became an autonomous degree-awarding institution under law no.

508 dated 21 December 1999,[4] and falls under the Ministero dell'Istruzione, dell'Universita e della Ricerca, the Italian ministry of education and research.

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