Corrado Feroci, an accomplished sculptor and painter, was nominated by the Italian government to fill a teaching position in the Siamese civil service upon the Kingdom's request. Feroci, who graduated from the Royal Art Academy of Florence, arrived in Siam on Jan 14, 1923, and later adopted the Thai name Silpa Bhirasri.
In 1934, Prof Silpa, the father of Thai contemporary art, set up the School of Fine Arts which later became Silpakorn University. In the early years, there were four faculties -- the Faculty of Painting, Sculpture and Graphic Arts; Faculty of Thai Architecture; Faculty of Archaeology; and Faculty of Decorative Arts.
