Alumna Anna Bottinelli Featured in Christie’s Article on Influential Women in the Art World
Class of 2010 alumna Anna Bottinelli was featured in Christie’s article “6 influential women on building a more equitable art world and the trailblazers who inspire them,” published on March 27, 2024. The other leading women are Johanna Burton, Director, Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, Sasha Stiles, artist, AI researcher, and poet, Jasmine Wahi, Founder and Co-Director, Project for Empty Space, Amy Hau, Director, Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum, and Anke Adler-Slottke, Consultant and Auctioneer, Christie’s.
Originally from Florence, Anna Bottinelli holds a B.A. in Art History from JCU and an M.A. in Art History from the Courtauld Institute of Art in London. In 2014 she joined the Monuments Men and Women Foundation, which seeks to preserve and continue the work of the Monuments Men and Women, a group of scholar-soldiers who saved millions of monuments and cultural treasures from the destruction of World War II and theft by the Nazis. Anna became Director of Research in 2017 and two years later, she was appointed as the new President. During her tenure at the Foundation, she has overseen numerous restitutions of cultural objects to individuals and museums in Europe. In 2022, Anna received JCU’s Distinguished Alumni Award.
The Christie’s article asks the six women to share what this year’s International Women’s Month theme — Inspire Inclusion — means to them.
“During World War II, women were assigned to auxiliary branches and supportive roles in the military and barred from serving in combat roles, yet there are countless instances of their services being instrumental in the war effort. There were 27 Monuments Women who served as members of the Monuments, Fine Art, and Archives program (MFAA) of the Allied armies. Each one of them, despite society telling them otherwise, pushed through those limitations and regulations and found ways to put their skills to use — and they found great respect and appreciation among their male colleagues. When I think of skilled scholars, both men and women, working alongside each other to return some four million objects stolen and displaced by the Nazis and war, that inspires inclusion to me,” answered Anna in the interview.
When Anna was asked to name the women in the past who paved the way for her and others in her field, she gave examples of the Monuments Women such as Rose Valland, Motoko Fujishiro Huthwaite, and Ardelia Ripley Hall, “who demonstrated courage, resilience, determination, and ingenuity.”
As far as an inspiring woman from the present is concerned, Anna named Dr. Laura Tedesco, a cultural heritage specialist working with the U.S. State Department, who has overseen the preservation of archaeological sites, monuments, and museums in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Uzbekistan. “Her use of cultural diplomacy is a vital example of how art and its preservation can transcend political disagreements and be a catalyst for peace amongst people,” said Anna.
Lastly, Anna was asked what advice she would give to girls and women who aspire to be leaders in her field. She replied, “Speak up. Be prepared to stand up for what is right, even if it goes against powerful forces.”
