Learn to Paint Portraits & More in the Heart of Berlin
Berlin Portrait Academy offers flexible, affordable training in realist portraiture, rooted in the classical Atelier tradition.
Our courses focus on oil painting—the preferred medium of portrait artists for centuries—valued for its versatility, depth, and timeless appeal.
In proud association with
How it works at BPA
Option 2: Premium Courses
Option 1: Fully Flexible Classes
Oil painting classes you can take according to your own busy schedule. No commitment, no fixed dates, just find a lesson in our calendar, book and go!
Book a 10-week semester learning a highly specialized course taught by some of the world’s best artists. Our premium courses are: ‘Narrative & Composition with Yasmine Elgamal’
Option 3: Untutored Drop-In
Draw or paint from a live model over three hours, no instruction. Bring your own materials and work in any medium or style.
Discover our Classes
Flexi - class:
Beginner & Intermediate Realist Painting
Painting realism relies on learning to see, interpret, and simplify the infinite complexity of the world around us.
Beginners: Using comparative measurement we break elements down into areas of clearly defined shades (values), organizing what we see using structured, repeatable steps.
Intermediate students: Starting with the skull, and planes of the head, we progress to painting lifelike 3D casts of human faces. Mastering values comes before exploring color, studying portraits by masters such as John Singer Sargent and Anders Zorn.
€45 per session, or ten sessions for €350
Flexi - class:
The Alla Prima Portrait from Life
This is an ideal companion class for those taking our main courses. Peter Kasim demonstrates the Alla-Prima technique from a live model while offering full feedback and tuition.
Class is held over TWO consecutive Sundays with the same model, so students get a chance for in-depth study over 6 hours total.
€70 for TWO Sunday afternoon sessions (6 hours total)
Over ten sessions, award winning painter Yasmine Elgamal will guide you through the process of creating your own paintings using a combination of portraiture, figure painting and various props and environments to push your creativity and compositional skills. You'll go beyond exercises, overcome creative block and start making the paintings you’ve dreamed of.
Next term dates: 3rd September - 19 November 2026, Thursday evenings
€600 for the ten-week course
More info & Booking
Premium Course:
Narrative & Composition with Yasmine Elgamal
Drop-In Untutored Sessions
Long Pose Nude Life Drawing / Portrait Painting on Wednesdays
A single long nude pose, draw or paint as many angles as you like, or focus just on the portrait. Bring your own materials, all styles and mediums.
€15 Euros
Flexi-Class Schedule
Sunday
11:00 - 14:00
15:30 - 18:30
Monday
18:45 - 21:45
Tuesday
18:45 - 21:45
Oil Painting Class - All levels
Alla Prima Portrait Painting From Life
Oil Painting Class - All levels - English
Oil Painting Class - All levels - German & English
Wednesday
19:00 - 22:00
Long Pose Life Drawing & Painting - UNTUTORED
What Students Say
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“I have attended the class about 7 times and have always had a great experience with Peter as a teacher: great communication, good time management, technique and tips. I can definitely say that my oil painting skills have improved a lot!”
— Thales
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“A very enriching, fun and calming experience. I took beginner oil painting classes with Peter, who is a remarkable teacher, very friendly and whose expertise and patience with beginners made the learning process feel seamless and consistently productive. In just 1 class I could see a major difference in my thinking in terms of perspectives, lights and shadows. I signed up for a long term class package without a second thought, & can only highly recommend.”
— Sanchi
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“Excellent experience! The classes are for students of all abilities. Peter does a great job of adapting the content to your individual level. He is always present and ready to help. I truly recommend it!”
— Mel
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"Wonderful oil painting class! Peter is a great teacher, supportive and clear in his explanations. I will definitely come back!"
— Julia
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"Very nice and friendly and relaxed learning experience, my art took a leap forward after a few classes, I am very thankful."
— Osama
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"Traditional figurative oil painting can be daunting and frustrating but Peter's methodical teaching will provide you with a clear path and a structured process to enjoy this craft!"
Laurent
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I attended an oil painting class and can highly recommend it. Peter is technically excellent, patient, and explains each step very clearly. There are examples to guide you, and each step is also demonstrated in practice. You can join the classes regardless of your skill level, which is great. The course is taught in English, and there’s a inclusive, and international atmosphere overall.
— Teresia
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After roughly 20 years away from oil painting and feeling intimidated to pick it up again, it's been nothing short of therapeutic to re-learn the art in Peter's Introduction course. His setups are interesting (no fruit), many are completed in a single session. If you're like me, it's the shortest 3 hours you'll ever experience. While his direction is clear and quickly executable (say, by the time he speaks to each of the other students and circles back to you again), the instruction is rooted in rigorous technique which will improve and enhance any other representative 2D work you're working on in life.
— Ashley
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Peter is a really patient teacher with a wealth of knowledge and he has a great way of teaching how you "see" before you paint. His lessons are structured in a way that builds naturally and I feel after each one that I learned something new to add to my practice. I’ve been taking his classes for two months now, and one of the biggest changes I’ve noticed is in how I understand temperature in light and shadow and I can pick up on variations much more clearly now even in everyday objects and how I can simplify things during painting. Carrying that along with other concepts over into my own work outside of class makes me feel a lot more confident approaching new paintings.
— Rowan
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Contact Us
Interested in taking your painting skills to the next level? Send us an email with any enquiries about the courses.