Manuel Bonfanti was born in 1974 in Bergamo, where he lives and works.

He graduated from the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in Milan, where he studied under Luciano Fabro and completed his thesis in contemporary art history with Marco Meneguzzo.

His career started as a gallery assistant, collaborating on the creation of works with several artists including Gabriel Orozco and Julian Opie.

Exploring the aesthetic relationship among the sublime, space and light, Bonfanti creates atmospheric works where color evokes environments of mystical resonance and zen-like landscapes.

His large-scale canvases often investigate the invisible, spiritual places and liminal spaces between figuration and abstraction, infused with an animistic sensibility.

His practice engages with the metaphysical dimensions of perception, where painting becomes a vehicle for contemplation and transcendence.

Bonfanti’s work reflects a sustained interest in the immaterial qualities of air, light and sound, cultivating atmospheres that blur the boundaries between inner experience and outer environment.

He has exhibited at prestigious cultural institutions, including the National Cultural Centre of Kazan, the Italian Cultural Institute in Prague, the European Cultural Centre in Venice during the 2024 Biennale, and the Art Pur Foundation in Riyadh.

In 2025, he presented the solo exhibition “Metamorphosis: from Space to Light” at Palazzo Firenze in Rome, the seat of Società Dante Alighieri.

Bonfanti is also the curator of The Tube One, a permanent art project at Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital in Bergamo.