Tartu is the birthplace of Estonian national professional art education. In 1919, the Pallas Art Society established a private school for the arts, which began its education on October 1.
Pallase kunstikooli esimeseks juhatajaks sai Konrad Mägi. 1924. aastal muutus kunstikool kõrgemat kunstiharidust andvaks õppeasutuseks nimetusega Kõrgem Kunstikool Pallas. 1940. aastal alanud okupatsioonide ja sõja perioodil reorganiseeriti ja ümbernimetati Pallase kooli korduvalt ja mitmel korral õppetegevus ajutiselt katkes. Peale sõda tegutses kool esialgu Tartu Riikliku Kunstiinstituudi nime all, siis 1954. aastani ENSV Riikliku Kunstiinstituudi Tartu osakonnana. Kooli reorganiseerimiste käigus kujunenud ja 1951. aastast Tartu Kujutava Kunsti Kooli nime all tegutsenud õppeasutusest sai 1960. aastal sai Tartu Kunstikool. 2000. aastal avati Tartus taas kõrgemat kunstiharidust pakkuv kool Tartu Kõrgem Kunstikool. Alates 1. augustist 2018 kannab kool taas nime Kõrgem Kunstikool Pallas.
Konrad Mägi became the first principal of the Art School of the Pallas Arts Association. In 1924 the art school became a higher education institution called Higher Arts School Pallas. During the period of occupation and war that began in 1940, the Pallas School was reorganized and renamed several times and its education was interrupted several times. After the war, the school initially operated under the name of the Tartu State Art Institute, until 1954 as the Tartu Department of the ESSR State Art Institute. The school, which was formed during the reorganization of the school and became the Tartu School for Fine Arts in 1951, became the Tartu Art School in 1960. In 2000, Tartu Art College opened again in Tartu, offering higher art education. Starting August 1, 2018, the school was renamed Pallas University of Applied Sciences.
At different times the school has provided higher and secondary art education under the following names:
1919-1924 | Art School of the Pallas Arts Association |
1924-1940 | Higher Art School Pallas |
1940-1941 | Public Higher Art School named after Konrad Mägi |
1941-1942 | Higher Art School Pallas |
1942-1943 | Tartu Higher Courses of Fine Arts |
1943-1944 | Higher Art School Pallas |
1944 | Public Higher Art School named after Konrad Mägi |
1944-1951 | Estonian SSR Tartu State Art Institute |
1951-1955 | Tartu affiliate of the Estonian SSR Art Institute |
1951-1960 | Tartu School for Fine Arts |
1960-… | Tartu Art School |
2000-2018 | Tartu Art College |
2018-… | Pallas University of Applied Sciences |