Originally founded in 1845 as the Glasgow Government School of Design, it officially changed its name to The Glasgow School of Art in 1853 before it moved from its original home in Ingram Street to the McLellan Galleries in Sauchiehall Street in 1869.
Work on its famous home on Renfrew, designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh and destroyed twice by fire in recent years, started in 1887 thanks to a donation from the Bellahouston Trust.
Since then the school has expanded to a number of other buildings in Glasgow, organised into five distict academic schools covering architecture, design, fine art, simulation and visualisation, and innovation.
The Glasgow School of Art has been particularly successful in producing leading contemporary artists including, since 2005, an amazing 30 per cent of recent Turner Prize winners (the so-called ‘Glasgow Miracle’). Simon Starling won in 2005, followed by Richard Wright in 2009, Martin Boyce in 2011, Duncan Campbell in 2014, and Charlotte Prodger in 2018.
Highly-rated internationally, the school was named the 11th best educational establishments for art and design in the world.
Here are 10 famous faces that have studied at the school over the years, though not all graduated.
9. Frank Quitely
Better known by his pen name Frank Quitely, Vincent Deighan studied fine art, drawing and painting at Glasgow School of Art, but left before he graduated. It hasn't done his career much harm though. Since then he has become a very successful comic book artist, collaborating with the likes of Grant Morrison and Mark Millar on series such as New X-Men, All-Star Superman, Batman and Robin, and Jupiter's Legacy. Photo: Contributed
10. Scott Hutchison
Before his tragic death in 2018, Scott Hutchison had become one of Scotland's most well-respected singers and songwriters with his band Frightened Rabbit. He formed the band in 2013, shortly after graduating from Glasgow School of Art with a degree in illustration. Photo: Mark Metcalfe
11. Harry Benson
Since graduating from Glasgow School of Art, Harry Benson has enjoyed over five decades of success in the world of photography. He covered The Beatles on their first tour of the UK and has photographed every US President Dwight D. Eisenhower. His photographs, ranging from war zones to celebrity shots of the likes of Michael Jackson and Elizabeth Taylor, have appeared in art galleries, newspaper and magazines including Life, Vanity Fair, People, and The New Yorker. Photo: Contributed
12. Fran Healy and Dougie Payne
Travis members Fran Healy and Dougie Payne were both students at Glasgow School of Art. Healy joined the band on the day that he enrolled at the art school during the autumn of 1991. | Getty Images