 Some, notably Alexej von Jawlensky, Matej Sternen and Marianne von Werefkin attended the school for nearly a decade.Ažbe remained the sole instructor, except for a brief period in 1899–1900 when he hired Igor Grabar as an assistant.Long-established competitors, the Munich Academy and the Imperial Academy of Arts in Saint Petersburg, recognized Ažbe school and recommended it as a preparatory or "refreshment" course.