occupied by Allied troops. After the abolition of the monarchy in Italy in 1946, the Reale (Royal) was dropped from its name. In 1999 following national educational reforms, the academy (along with most other fine art academies and music conservatories in Italy), was recognized as part of the university sector with their highest level diplomas equivalent to the Italian laurea. The academy elected its first woman Director, the art historian Giovanna Cassese, in 2007. She was succeeded in that post by another art historian, Aurora Spinosa, who was appointed in October 2013. Spinosa is the daughter of the painter Domenico Spinosa (1916-2007) and also serves as curator of the academy's museum, the Galleria dell'Accademia di Belle Arti. Alumni Salvatore Albano Francesco Saverio Altamura Giovanni Battista Amendola Guiscardo Améndola Jorit, an alumnus, was nominated by Michelina Manzillo and the University Rector Renato Lori to the Wolf Prize 2023 for the arts category. Academic organization The academy is organized into three departments: Arti visive (visual arts) runs the programs in painting, sculpture, decorative arts, fine art graphics, and illustration. Progettazione artistica per l'impresa (commercial arts) runs the programs in theatre and film scenography, graphic design for public media, photography, fashion design, costume design, and textile design. The department also incorporates the Scuola di Restauro, founded in 2000, which trains students in art conservation and restoration. Didattica dell'arte (art pedagogy) trains students with previous diplomas in one or more of the fine arts for careers as art teachers. The Scuola Libera del Nudo ("free school of the nude") of the academy is open also to those who are not enrolled as full-time students and specialises in teaching techniques for drawing and painting nudes. Museum The academy's museum, the Galleria dell'Accademia di Belle Arti, is housed in the main building of the academy and is open to the public. It began as a collection of paintings, drawings, and sculptures acquired for students to observe and study before beginning work on live models. In 1891 Filippo Palizzi, who was the president of the academy at the time, proposed housing the collection in a permanent public gallery and building it up to include contemporary art. Palizzi himself donated a large number of his own works and those by his brothers, Giuseppe, Nicolas, and Francesco, as well as works by French artists which they had collected. The gallery was not completed until 1916. However, it was forced