Arp Kovacs was born in Transylvania in 1948. His artistic leanings were recognized quite early on and consequently, he was enrolled in an art school immediately after finishing primary school at the age of eleven.

He continued his academic studies at the Ion Andreescu Academy of Art, a division of the university of Cluj. At the university, he studied painting, drawing, and mural painting, also attending courses in art history. aesthetics and philosophy. He graduated with a Master of Fine Arts in 1973.