CORPI MODERNI. THE MAKING OF THE BODY IN RENAISSANCE VENICE. LEONARDO, MICHELANGELO, DÜRER, GIORGIONE

Curated by Giulio Manieri Elia, Guido Beltramini and Francesca Borgo

Gallerie dell’Accademia, Venice
April 4 – July 27, 2025

Promoted by:
Gallerie dell’Accademia di Venezia
Marsilio Arte

Funded by:
Regione del Veneto

With the support of:
Associazione dei Comitati privati Internazionali per la Salvaguardia di Venezia, among which:
Fondazione Venetian Heritage
Scuola Piccola Zattere
Fondazione Cologni dei Mestieri d’Arte
Save Venice
Comitato Autriaco Venedig Lebt
Associazione Amici dei Musei e Monumenti Veneziani

The exhibition offers a fascinating exploration of the conception of the human body that emerged in Renaissance Venice, spanning art, science, and material culture. Corpi moderni delves into how, for the first time, the body was conceived as a field of scientific investigation, an object of desire, and a means of self-expression. The Renaissance marks a turning point where the body is no longer merely a biological entity but a cultural construct, shaped by science, art, and social conventions.
The exhibition brings together extraordinary works of art, some presented in Italy for the first time, including drawings, paintings, and sculptures from the most prestigious international and national museums and collections. Masterpieces by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Albrecht Dürer, Titian, Giorgione, and Giovanni Bellini are featured alongside scientific instruments, anatomical models, books, garments, miniatures, and everyday objects. On this occasion, Leonardo’s famous Vitruvian Man, one of the iconic treasures of the Gallerie dell’Accademia and an international symbol of global cultural heritage, will be on public display again after six years. For the first time, it will be presented alongside an ancient Greek metrological relief, sparking a reflection on the concepts of “measure” and “ideal,” rooted in antiquity.
The exhibition is divided into three major sections. The first, “Il corpo svelato: conoscere” delves into the discovery of the human body as an object of scientific and medical study.
The second section, “Il corpo nudo: desiderare”, examines the representation of the body as an object of gaze and desire.
Finally, the third “Il corpo costruito: rappresentarsi”, examines the body as a cultural space of representation. Clothing, surgical treatises, cosmetic tools, and personal care accessories reveal the Renaissance man and woman’s drive to conform to social standards and models, reflected in their portrayal through a specific inventory of symbols and adornments defining masculinity and femininity.