There was a familiar face on the red carpet Monday night at the Met Gala in New York, one of the biggest fashion events in the world.
Supermodel Heidi Klum arrived as a walking marble sculpture, a veil draped across her face topped with a flower crown. Klum’s look showed an uncanny resemblance to the most popular artwork at the Minneapolis Institute of Art: the “Veiled Lady,” created in 1860 by Victorian-era sculptor Raffaelle Monti.
“I got a lot of messages,” said Max Bryant, the Mia associate curator of decorative arts and sculpture in European arts. “Because the sculpture is really one of the most beloved works in our collection.”
Bryan clarified that the direct inspiration for Klum was a different sculpture by Monti, the “Veiled Vestral,” which is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Klum confirmed in an Instagram post.
“I went walking around in the Met and Raffaele Monti, he’s done most of the sculptures from the 1800s. So I looked and I was like, ‘Wow, this is so beautiful,’” Klum told Vogue. “I was like, ‘I want to become her!'”
The way Klum’s costume was designed, by manipulating latex and spandex to create a gauzy veiled illusion, echoes what the Italian sculptor did with marble.
“It’s an amazing creation. It demonstrates a real advanced art form of prosthetics,” Bryant said. “In a way, it's really true to the spirit of Raffaelle Monti himself.”
The “Veiled Vestral” and the “Veiled Lady” are directly linked.
“Monti made a lot of versions of the same subject,” Bryant said. “I would say ours is the most popular and celebrated version of the work.”
In the 1970s, Mia curator Merribell Parsons acquired the “Veiled Lady” for the permanent collection.
“At the time, I don't think anybody would have anticipated the popularity of this work with our audience, but nevertheless, it has remained,” Bryant said.
The “Veiled Lady” has become a fan favorite, gaining popularity with recreations: in ice for the annual Ice Sculptures at Mia event and in seeds many times over for the crop art exhibition at the Minnesota State Fair.
“I don't think there was one definitive moment that it goes viral in the popular consciousness of Minnesota. But clearly, by now in 2026, it is arguably the most popular work in our collection,” Bryant said. “It seems like she's more than a symbol of just the museum, almost of Minneapolis itself.”
The “Veiled Lady” is on permanent display in Gallery 357 at the museum.
