Esteve-Coll, Elizabeth (1938–)

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Esteve-Coll, Elizabeth (1938–)

English university administrator and museum director. Name variations: Dame Elizabeth Esteve-Coll. Born Elizabeth Anne Loosemore Kingdon, Oct 14, 1938, in Ripon, North Yorkshire, England; dau. of Percy Williams Kingdon and Nora Rose Kingdon; graduate of London University, 1976; m. José Esteve-Coll, 1960 (died 1980).

Director of London's Victoria and Albert Museum, became head of learning resources at Kingston Polytechnic (1977) and a university librarian at Surrey University (1982); joined Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum staff as keeper of national art library (1985); appointed director of museum (1988), the 1st woman director of a national arts collection; upgraded café to attract more visitors and was accused of diminishing the stature of museum by appealing to low-brow desires of public; resigned from museum to become vice-chancellor of University of East Anglia (1995). Awarded Dame of British Empire (DBE, 1995).