Director of the Victoria and Albert Museum


The Director of the Victoria and Albert Museum is the head of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, a post currently held by Tristram Hunt, who succeeded Martin Roth, who died in August 2017, months after he announced he would resign in January. He is responsible for that institution's general administration and reports its accounts to the British Government. The actual governance of the Museum, however, is delegated to its board of trustees; these are appointed individually by the British Prime Minister.

DirectorPost heldServed
Sir Henry Cole Organised and conducted the two museums from which the Victoria and Albert Museum grew: the Museum of Oriental Art and the South Kensington Museum1852–1873
Sir Philip Cunliffe-Owen, Director of the South Kensington Museum1874–1893
John Henry Middleton Director of the Art Museum 1893–1896
Sir Caspar Purdon Clarke Director of the Art Museum 1896–1905
Arthur Banks Skinner Director of the Art Museum 1905–1908
Sir Cecil Harcourt Smith, KCVO Director and Secretary of the Victoria and Albert Museum1909–1924
Sir Eric MacLagan, CBE, FSA Director and Secretary of the Victoria and Albert Museum1924–1945
Sir Leigh Ashton, FSA Director and Secretary of the Victoria and Albert Museum1945–1955
Sir Trenchard Cox, CBE, MA, FSA, FMA Director and Secretary of the Victoria and Albert Museum1956–1966
Sir John Pope-Hennessy, CBE, FBA, FSA Director and Secretary of the Victoria and Albert Museum1967–1973
Sir Roy Strong Director and Secretary of the Victoria and Albert Museum1973–1987
Dame Elizabeth Esteve-Coll Director and Secretary of the Victoria and Albert Museum1987–1995
Alan Borg, CBE Director and Secretary of the Victoria and Albert Museum1995–2001
Sir Mark Jones Director of the Victoria and Albert Museum2001–2011
Martin Roth Director of the Victoria and Albert Museum2011–2016
Tristram Hunt Director of the Victoria and Albert Museum2017–current