Dame Elizabeth Anne Loosemore Esteve-Coll (née Kingdon; 14 October 1938 – 16 September 2024) was a British academic, museum director and librarian.

Early life and education

Esteve-Coll was born in

Ripon Ripon () is a cathedral city and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. The city is located at the confluence of two tributaries of the River Ure, the Laver and Skell. Within the boundaries of the historic West Riding of Yorkshire, the ...

West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire was one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the riding was an administrative county named County of York, West Riding. The Lord Lieutenant of the West Riding of Yorkshire, lieu ...

, the daughter of Percy Kingdon, a bank clerk, and his wife Nora Rose. She was educated at Darlington High School and read English and Spanish at

Trinity College, Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Univ ...

and Art History at Birkbeck College (now

Birkbeck, University of London Birkbeck, University of London (formally Birkbeck College, University of London), is a Public university, public research university located in London, England, and a constituent college, member institution of the University of London. Establ ...

Career

Esteve-Coll was head of learning resources at Kingston Polytechnic (now Kingston University London) from 1977 to 1982. In 1982 she became the first female director of the

University of Surrey The University of Surrey is a public research university in Guildford, Surrey, England. The university received its Royal Charter, royal charter in 1966, along with a Plate glass university, number of other institutions following recommendations ...

Library. In 1985 she became the Keeper of the National Art Library at the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...

. She then instigated various changes to make the library more accessible to a broader audience. Esteve-Coll became the UK's first woman director of a national arts collection when she was appointed director of the

in 1987, succeeding Sir Roy Strong. She resigned in 1994, midway through her second term as director, to take up the Vice-Chancellorship of the

University of East Anglia The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a Public university, public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus university, campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and twenty-six schools of ...

. Alan Borg succeeded her as its new director, taking the post on 1 October 1995. Esteve-Coll served as Vice-Chancellor of the

from 1995 to 1997, but was forced to step down after being diagnosed with

multiple sclerosis Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease resulting in damage to myelinthe insulating covers of nerve cellsin the brain and spinal cord. As a demyelinating disease, MS disrupts the nervous system's ability to Action potential, transmit ...

. She said at the time: "It is with real sadness and disappointment that I must acknowledge that I am not able to lead the university into the 21st century." She served as Chancellor of

University of Lincoln The University of Lincoln is a public university, public research university in Lincoln, England, Lincoln, England, with origins dating back to 1861. It gained university status in 1992 and its present name in 2001. The main campus is in the hea ...

for seven years, as well as being a Trustee of the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures since its foundation in January 1999.

Marriage

At the age of 21, she married Spanish refugee sea captain José Esteve-Coll, 30 years her senior. He died in 1980.

Honours

Esteve-Coll was made a

Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(DBE) in the Queen's Birthday Honours list in 1995. She received the

Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese honors system, Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge feat ...

, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon (3rd class) in November 2005 in recognition of her "outstanding contribution to the promotion of Japanese culture and studies to British people". In November 2008, she was presented with an honorary doctorate of arts and made

Chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

Emerita by the University of Lincoln during her farewell ceremony at

Lincoln Cathedral Lincoln Cathedral, also called Lincoln Minster, and formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lincoln, is a Church of England cathedral in Lincoln, England, Lincoln, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Lincoln and is the Mo ...

.University of Lincoln, Staff News, Dame Elizabeth Esteve-Coll DBE 1938–2024
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Death

Esteve-Coll died on 16 September 2024, at the age of 85.

Bibliography

* ''Books by My Bedside'' (1989)

References

External links

* ttp://www.uk.emb-japan.go.jp/en/japanUK/decoration/051125_esteve-coll.html Interview with Dame Elizabeth Esteve-Coll
Elizabeth Esteve-Coll on Desert Island Discs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Esteve-Coll, Elizabeth 1938 births 2024 deaths 20th-century English writers Alumni of Birkbeck, University of London Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Directors of the Victoria and Albert Museum Vice-chancellors of the University of East Anglia People associated with the University of Lincoln People from Darlington People with multiple sclerosis People associated with the Victoria and Albert Museum English librarians British women librarians British librarians British women museum directors British writers with disabilities Fellows of the Royal Society of Arts