Silvia Bottinelli received her PhD from the University of Pisa, Italy, in 2008. Her research explores art in the public sphere in Italy after Fascism. Silvia's first book, A Forgotten Award: The Fiorino Collection at the Pitti Palace, examines the politics of display of modern art in post WWII Florence. Her second book, which will be released in September 2010, analyzes the role of intellectuals, such as Carlo Ludovico Ragghianti and Adriano Olivetti, in spreading art history, and how this was considered a tool to build an Italian identity in the new democratic context.

Since 2002, Silvia's curatorial projects have focused on contemporary site specific art. For example, for her 2004 show "Outbound. Out of Common Places", she invited 9 young artists to present projects specifically created for a 16th century Medici Villa in Cerreto Guidi (Florence). The exhibition offered the opportunity to reflect on the problematic role of history in contemporary Italian art.