Visual Arts, formerly Visual Artist Office, is a Japanese publishing company specializing in the publishing and distribution of visual novels for a large list of game developers. Visual Arts has developed the game engines their brands currently use, including the current engine, called Siglus, and older engines RealLive and AVG32. Visual Arts also handles the selling and distribution of these games. The games published are mostly for a male audience, though they also publish games targeted towards women. They are well known for the publishing of games by the studio Key such as the famous visual novels Kanon, Air, and Clannad.

[From Wikipedia]

Brief history of Visual Art's:

March 1991: Visual Artist Office is founded
Later in 1991: Softhouse Bonbee Bonbon is established
1993: AyPio is established by UYE! after leaving Softhouse Bonbee Bonbon
May 1996: AVG32 engine is released
August 1996: Name changed to Visual Art's
1997: Zero is established.
1998: I've Sound and Ram are established
July 1998: Key is established
June 1999: Kanon is released.
2001: Giant Panda and Key Sounds Label are established
September 2001: RealLive engine is released
2006: Prototype, Visual Art's Motto and pekoe are established
2007: mana and Frill are established
2010: Singer/voice actor brand voix is formed. Siglus engine is released. Angel Beats! airs on TV.
2011: Asoberu! BD-GAME, tone work's, and Visual Art's MottoSP are established.