The Académie Libanaise des Beaux-Arts, known as ALBA, opened in 1937 and is described as the first national institution of higher education in Lebanon. It began as a stand-alone school and in 1988 became one of the three founding faculties of the University of Balamand. Its original campus in Sin el Fil, Beirut, teaches in French and offers architecture, decorative arts, plastic arts, urban and regional planning, graphic design, digital art direction, fashion design and audiovisual directing. Since October 2000 an English-language branch on Balamand's main campus in Koura has taught architecture, interior architecture, graphic design and computer graphics and interactive media. For students who want to train as architects, designers or filmmakers in Lebanon, it is one of the oldest options in the country.
ALBA (Académie Libanaise des Beaux-Arts) at a glance
- Founded in 1937
- First national institution of higher education in Lebanon
- Faculty of the University of Balamand since 1988
- English-language programs launched in October 2000