The Beauty of Difference

For this major exhibition, Bonaveri has developed mannequins designed to represent and translate real bodies in all their uniqueness, turning them into a key element of the curatorial storytelling.
Through January 10, 2027, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is hosting Costume Art, the Costume Institute’s latest exhibition, presented in the newly renovated Condé M. Nast Galleries. The show explores the concept of the “dressed body” as a space where art and fashion intersect, bringing together works and garments from different eras and perspectives to examine the relationship between the body, identity, and artistic creation.

Once again, the Met has entrusted Bonaveri with interpreting the exhibition’s theme through its mannequins, continuing a long-standing collaboration built on shared vision and mutual trust. For the occasion, Bonaveri has contributed a series of custom and dressable mannequins developed to accommodate a new generation of forms inspired by direct observation of real bodies and their transformation into museum-presence figures.

Curated by Andrew Bolton, the exhibition reflects on the body in its many forms, from the classical and idealized to the transformed, marginalized, and universal. It also embraces bodies that have historically been excluded from museum representation, restoring their physical and personal specificity. In this context, some of the mannequins are based on scans of real individuals, marking a shift from the body as an idealized model to the body as an authentic and diverse presence.
For Bonaveri, the creative process remains both sculptural and deeply observational. Form emerges through the study of posture, weight, and tension, which are then refined and reinterpreted. Each mannequin begins with a silent question, who is this figure and what does it express, evolving from technical precision into a more profound presence.

“The call from the Met was a moment of quiet awareness,” said Andrea Bonaveri, CEO of the company. “It was not about creating an object, but about giving shape to a presence. In this context, the mannequin becomes a threshold, a meeting point between fashion, memory, and identity.”

With Costume Art, Bonaveri further strengthens its role within major international cultural institutions, advancing a vision in which craftsmanship, research, and critical thinking converge. Rooted in sculpture yet open to contemporary perspectives, the company continues to transform each mannequin into a meaningful interpretation of the body and its significance.