Curator and educator Deborah Swallow will step down as director of the Marith Rausing Courtauld Institute of Art in London after 18 years on the job, the institute said in a statement.
Swallow’s statement says that it has been a great honor to serve at The Courtauld as director of Märit Rausing and to play a role in shaping the development of this unique organization. Deborah Swallow also added that she was inspired and energized by her colleagues from Courtauld, the university’s students, alumni, and colleagues.
The Courtauld Institute is a very prestigious school that operates independently from the University of London where it is located. The Courtauld Institute is a very prestigious school that operates independently from the University of London where it is located. Swallow’s departure as principal opens her up to a highly coveted position in the art academy world.
In her later years in office, Deborah Swallow oversaw a $72 million renovation project called the Courtauld Connect, described in a statement as the most significant development in The Courtauld’s history.
The project aims to renovate and expand Somerset House, where the Courtauld Institute is located. “This monumental achievement is a testament to Deborah’s unwavering belief in the power of art, its centrality to human life and the importance of preserving it for the future,” Lord Brown of Madingley, Chairman of The Courtauld Board of Governors, said of Courtauld Connects. project in the application.
However, the Courtauld Connects project is not without criticism. Courtauld Institute faculty protested the institution’s investment in infrastructure at the expense of the needs of their teaching staff. Swallow has also played an important role in forging important relationships between the Courtauld Institute and major institutions such as the Getty, the State Hermitage Museum, and the Mehrangarh Museum Foundation in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, and King’s College London.
Deborah Swallow will remain as director until a replacement is found for her.
