Saida Bondini

Dr. Saida Bondini is an SNSF postdoctoral fellow at the University of Zurich's Institute of Art History, investigating the interplay between natural disasters and artistic production in early modern Italy, with specific focus on seismic events in the Italian territory.

Education:

• PhD, Courtauld Institute of Art, London and University of Lausanne, 2021

Her research examines how earthquakes shaped cultural responses and reconstruction of artistic heritage in sixteenth-century Italy, bridging art history, environmental studies, and disaster anthropology. This interdisciplinary approach reveals how seismic catastrophes influenced architectural practices, patronage networks, and artistic innovation during the Renaissance period.

Scientific Awards:

• SNSF Postdoctoral Fellowship
• Fellowship at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Internship at the Swiss Institute/Contemporary Art New York
• Fellowship at the J. Paul Getty Museum

Dr. Bondini served as Teaching Assistant in the Renaissance Department and Associate Lecturer in Early Modern Art at the Courtauld Institute during her doctoral studies. Her current SNSF-funded project "From Destruction to Construction: Art-Making and Earthquake Hazards in Sixteenth-Century Italy" is hosted by the Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz (2022–2023) and the Italian Academy for Advanced Studies at Columbia University (2023–2024), examining seismic impacts on cultural production through archival analysis of reconstruction efforts.