Silvia Berselli leads new photography department at Milan auction house Il Ponte

Silvia Berselli, a Bologna-born photography restorer who studied in Rochester and Paris, has been appointed to head the new photography department at Il Ponte auction house in Milan, launched in September 2017. Berselli, who opened her restoration studio in Milan in 1996 and previously founded photography departments at Bloomsbury (later Minerva) in Rome in 2007 and at Bolaffi in Turin in 2014, aims to establish Il Ponte as a reference for collectible photography, distinguishing it from decorative photography. She highlights Il Ponte's Milan location and its strong Modern and Contemporary Art department, led by Freddy Battino, as key advantages. Berselli notes that the Italian photography market is growing, with more young collectors, but lags behind France and the US due to insufficient cultural promotion by museums and institutions. She believes Italian historic photographers are undervalued internationally and offer opportunities for discovery and investment. The interview was conducted by Angela Madesani.