 Fałat gave the Academy a new direction by hiring new art instructors associated with contemporary Western art philosophies; painters such as Teodor Axentowicz, Jacek Malczewski (the father of Polish Symbolism), Jan Stanisławski, Leon Wyczółkowski, Konstanty Laszczka, Józef Mehoffer, Stanisław Wyspiański (one of first in Europe to work in all genres), Wojciech Weiss, and Józef Pankiewicz among others.On the 100th anniversary of its founding, in 1979, the Academy was named for Jan Matejko, its founder and first president, who contributed greatly to its artistic legacy.In 2008 the Academy joined Icograda (the International Council of Graphic Design Associations) and became that organization's first educational member in Poland.