National College of Arts

The National College of Arts in Lahore, Pakistan is usually referred to by its acronym NCA. It is the oldest fine arts training institute in the country and one of the oldest and best in all of Asia. The NCA has a rich historical tradition dating back to the days of the British Raj. During the 1860s, it was established in Lahore, in the Punjab region, as the 'Punjab School of Arts' and was then renamed the 'Mayo School of Arts, Lahore', after Lord Mayo, a Viceroy of India. In the 1890s, it moved to its present location next to the Lahore Museum and became the 'Mayo College of Arts' and after Partition and Independence of Pakistan in 1947, it was formally designated as the 'National College of Arts'. The old Mayo School and College had the unique distinction of having as its first principal and head, Mr John Lockwood Kipling, father of the writer Rudyard Kipling, who was also Curator of the Lahore Museum simultaneously.