Elizabeth Esteve-Coll

Esteve-Coll was born in Ripon, West Riding of Yorkshire, 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 and Art History at Birkbeck College (now Birkbeck, University of London).{{cite web|url=http://www.debretts.com/people/biographies/month/october/4998/Elizabeth%20Anne%20Loosemore+ESTEVE-COLL.aspx |title=Debrett's – The trusted source on British social skills, etiquette and style-Debrett's |website=Debretts.com |access-date=25 January 2017}}{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2024/sep/18/dame-elizabeth-esteve-coll-obituary |title=Dame Elizabeth Esteve-Coll obituary |first=Charles |last=Darwent |work=The Guardian |date= 18 September 2024 |accessdate= 18 September 2024}}

Esteve-Coll was head of learning resources at Kingston Polytechnic (now Kingston University London) from 1977 to 1982.{{Cite web|url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/esteve-coll-elizabeth-1938|title=Esteve-Coll, Elizabeth (1938–) {{!}} Encyclopedia.com|website=www.encyclopedia.com|access-date=2019-03-08}} In 1982 she became the first female director of the University of Surrey Library.{{Cite tweet|number=1103958341905199104|title=To celebrate #IWD2019, we'd like to recognise the achievements of Dame Elizabeth Esteve-Coll, our first woman Director of @surreylib in 1982. Photo credit: @UniOfSurrey Archives (US/PH/2/7/10 ©University of Surrey) #surreylib #uniofsurrey #BalanceforBetterpic.twitter.com/mgl9ESLnpC|last=Library|first=University of Surrey|date=2019-03-08|user=surreylib|language=en|access-date=2019-03-08}} In 1985 she became the Keeper of the National Art Library at the Victoria and Albert Museum.{{cite news |title=Dame Elizabeth Esteve-Coll obituary: director of the V&A |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/efb7dad6-2e0a-4687-8d36-0c653494bc61|work=The Times |date=25 September 2024}} She then instigated various changes to make the library more accessible to a broader audience.{{cite journal |last=Esteve-Coll|first=Elizabeth|title=Image and Reality: the National Art Library|journal=Art Libraries Journal| year=1986|volume=11|issue=2|pages=33–39| doi=10.1017/S0307472200004624}} Esteve-Coll became the UK's first woman director of a national arts collection when she was appointed director of the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1987, succeeding Sir Roy Strong.{{cite web|title=V&A directors past and present|url=http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/v/v-and-a-directors/|website=Vam.ac.uk|access-date=23 July 2014}}Adams, R. (2010). The New Girl in the Old Boy Network: Elizabeth Esteve-Coll at the V&A. Gender, Sexuality and Museums: A Routledge Reader, 28–42. She resigned in 1994, midway through her second term as director, to take up the Vice-Chancellorship of the University of East Anglia.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=50HjSi5o8J0C&pg=PA387 |title=The History of the University of East Anglia, Norwich |first=Michael |last=Sanderson |page=387 |date= January 2002|publisher=A&C Black |isbn=9781852853365 |access-date=25 January 2017}} Alan Borg succeeded her as its new director, taking the post on 1 October 1995.

Esteve-Coll served as Vice-Chancellor of the University of East Anglia from 1995 to 1997, but was forced to step down after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. 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."{{cite web|url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/esteve-coll-is-to-retire/91693.article |title=Esteve-Coll is to retire | Times Higher Education (THE) |publisher=Times Higher Education |date=5 January 2017 |access-date=25 January 2017}}{{cite book|url=http://www.betterworldbooks.com/vice-chancellors-of-the-university-of-east-anglia-elizabeth-esteve-coll-david-eastwood-edward-acton-id-115720421X.aspx |title=Vice-Chancellors of the University of East Anglia – Reviews, Description & more |isbn=9781157204213 |access-date=25 January 2017}} She served as Chancellor of University of Lincoln for seven years,{{cite web|url=http://www.lincoln.ac.uk/news/2008/10/detribute.htm |title=University of Lincoln bids farewell to Chancellor |website=Lincoln.ac.uk |date=15 October 2008 |access-date=25 January 2017}} as well as being a Trustee of the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures since its foundation in January 1999.{{cite web |url=http://sainsbury-institute.org/support-us/e-magazine/e-archives/e-magazine-issue-01/interview-with-founders-and-staff-issue-01/ |title=Interview with Founders and Staff « Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures |website=Sainsbury-institute.org |access-date=25 January 2017 |archive-date=3 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170103002824/http://sainsbury-institute.org/support-us/e-magazine/e-archives/e-magazine-issue-01/interview-with-founders-and-staff-issue-01/ |url-status=dead }}

At the age of 21, she married Spanish refugee sea captain José Esteve-Coll, 30 years her senior.{{cite news |title=Dame Elizabeth Esteve-Coll, director of the V&A who divided critics with her ‘rebranding’ exercise |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2024/09/17/elizabeth-esteve-coll-victoria-and-albert-roy-strong-art/ |access-date=17 September 2024 |work=The Telegraph |date=17 September 2024}} He died in 1980.

Esteve-Coll was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the Queen's Birthday Honours list in 1995.

She received the Order of the Rising Sun, 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".{{cite web|url=http://www.uk.emb-japan.go.jp/en/japanUK/decoration/051103_esteve-coll.html |title=Embassy of Japan in the UK |website=Uk.emb-japan.go.jp |date=3 November 2005 |access-date=25 January 2017}}

In November 2008, she was presented with an honorary doctorate of arts and made Chancellor Emerita by the University of Lincoln during her farewell ceremony at Lincoln Cathedral.{{cite web|url=http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=404375 |title=Appointments | Times Higher Education (THE) |publisher=Times Higher Education |date=5 January 2017 |access-date=25 January 2017}}[https://staffnews.lincoln.ac.uk/2024/09/17/dame-elizabeth-esteve-coll-dbe-1938-2024/ University of Lincoln, Staff News, Dame Elizabeth Esteve-Coll DBE 1938–2024]

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

• Books by My Bedside (1989)

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.ifla.org/VII/s30/news/4302.htm IFLA Section of Art Libraries Annual Report — September 1997 – August 1998]
• [http://www.uk.emb-japan.go.jp/en/japanUK/decoration/051125_esteve-coll.html Interview with Dame Elizabeth Esteve-Coll]
• [https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0093yrj Elizabeth Esteve-Coll on Desert Island Discs]

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Category:1938 births

Category:2024 deaths

Category:20th-century English writers

Category:Alumni of Birkbeck, University of London

Category:Alumni of Trinity College Dublin

Category:Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire

Category:Directors of the Victoria and Albert Museum

Category:Vice-chancellors of the University of East Anglia

Category:People associated with the University of Lincoln

Category:People from Darlington

Category:People with multiple sclerosis

Category:People associated with the Victoria and Albert Museum

Category:English librarians

Category:British women librarians

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