Leigh Ashton (museum director)

Sir Arthur Leigh Bolland Ashton FSA[2] (1897–1983) was a British art historian and director of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Leigh Ashton by Ray Strachey[1]

Early life

Ashton was the son of the jurist A. J. Ashton KC, a court recorder in Manchester. He was educated at Winchester College and Balliol College, Oxford.[3]

Career

In 1945, he was appointed director of the Victoria and Albert Museum, taking over from Eric Maclagan.[3]

Ashton retired in 1955, and was succeeded by Trenchard Cox.[3]

Personal life

In 1952, he married the fashion editor and academic Madge Garland, in a marriage of convenience.[3] They divorced in 1962, and had no children.[4]

References

1. Sir (Arthur) Leigh Bolland Ashton. National Portrait Gallery. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
2. "V&A directors past and present". Retrieved 23 July 2014.
3. "Ashton, [Arthur] Leigh [Bolland], Sir". Dictionary of Art Historians. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
4. "Lady Ashton, 92, Dies; English Fashion Editor". New York Times. 20 July 1990. Retrieved 23 July 2014.