Manuel Bonfanti
WebsiteFacebookInstagramManuel Bonfanti, born in 1974 in Bergamo, where he still lives and works, is an artist with a deep interest in the intersection between the sublime, space and light. He graduated from the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in Milan, where he developed his artistic skills under the tutelage of eminent figures such as Luciano Fabro, Alberto Garuti and Professor Marco Meneguzzo, who supervised his thesis on the history of contemporary art. During his studies he also completed an Erasmus programme in Finland, where he studied fashion design at Jyväskylä Polytechnic.
Bonfanti’s work is characterized by his ability to capture atmosphere and space through large-scale canvases that evoke the mysticism and tranquility of Zen landscapes. His work focuses on exploring the unseen and spiritual dimensions, often teetering on the edge of abstraction with animistic elements. This fascinating dialogue between the visible and the invisible, the material and the spiritual, forms the core of his artistic expression.
His major exhibitions include solo shows at the National Cultural Centre in Kazan. They are organized in the framework of the Year of Friendship between Italy and the Russian Federation, and an exhibition at the Italian Cultural Institute in Prague on the occasion of the Italian Republic Day.
Bonfanti is also actively involved as a curator in the project “The Tube One” at the Pope John XXIII Hospital in Bergamo (ASST Bergamo). His works are regularly exhibited and represented in public and private collections in Italy and abroad. Here they find their place among collectors and art lovers.
In 2024 Bonfanti presented his new project. “In the Middle of Now – Where” at the Venice Biennale as part of the European Cultural Centre in collaboration with Aedificante. Thus reaffirming its position on the international contemporary art scene.
Artist's exhibitions
In the Middle of Now-Where
THE DESIGN Gallery is excited to announce an exhibition of Manuel Bonfanti, one of the most distinctive Italian artists of today. Known for his large-scale paintings and his ability to capture space and light. He brings to Prague his new collection that explores the boundaries between the visible and invisible worlds.
Strongly influenced by his studies at the Brera Academy under Maurizio Fabre, Bonfanti’s work is more than just painting on canvas. As Bonfanti himself says: “When I paint, I am not human”. His approach to art is driven by the technical knowledge of masters such as Tiziano and Tiepolo, as well as the influence of modern icons such as Pollock, Richter and Sigmar Polke, who shaped his style during his studies in Milan.
Bonfanti considers painting not just a visual experience, but a physical act. He exercises daily and this physicality is reflected in his painting. As he describes it, it is an “action painting” in which he uses his whole body, like Jackson Pollock, moving the brush with his whole hand, which creates dynamism and energy in his works. This way of working is also inspired by the pulsating light of Caravaggio’s paintings.
Bonfanti’s monumental canvases reflect today’s need to escape the constant data deluge of screens and the digital world. “Big canvases are important today. We watch them instead of screens that pollute our perception of reality”. His works reconnect us with the poetry of space and corporeality. The immersive quality of these canvases opens up an intellectual, physical and spiritual dimension where the viewer engages in a personal dialogue with the work.
The exhibition, which will open at THE DESIGN gallery in Prague, offers a unique experience for anyone who wants to be carried away by this intense connection between art, space and physical experience.
