Exploring the Southeast Asian art collection donated by Emeritus Professor Elizabeth Moore

Lucy Kauser spotlights the generous artwork donations to SOAS from the Late Professor Elizabeth Moore. 

A significant selection of our Object and Artwork Collections here at SOAS is thanks to Professor Elizabeth Moore. A prolific author and scholar, her legacy in the field of Southeast Asian art history cannot be underestimated. Professor Moore taught at the SOAS History of Art Department from 1992 until her recent retirement. After that, she continued to be a welcome presence at SOAS, supporting students and alumni, helping the Gallery, and pursuing her own research—something she was entirely dedicated to. Elizabeth sadly passed away in January 2024. 

I was lucky enough to be taught by Professor Moore

It was early Summer 2022 when I spoke to Professor Moore about donating her art and artefact collections of over a hundred objects to SOAS. As a former student at SOAS, I was lucky enough to have been taught by Professor Moore in 2010, and it felt quite special to be now working on formally accepting her objects into our Collection.

I even remember once, as an undergrad, visiting her office and being impressed by the objects dotted around the room among the bookcases and tables – many of which now sit in our SOAS Collections.

I even remember once, as an undergrad, visiting her office and being impressed by the objects dotted around the room among the bookcases and tables – many of which now sit in our SOAS Collections.

Her donations continue to help SOAS students today

Not only did Professor Moore gift us these objects, but she spent much of the summer of 2022 documenting them with us at the Gallery so that we would have information on all of the collections. She was a regular attendee of the SOAS MA Curating Cultures course, helping the students who continue to use many of her objects in their displays.

She was attached to these objects, but it was so important to her that they be used by SOAS, to be seen and continued to be used by students now and in the future.

To Professor Moore, all of these objects were special. Some had been collected by her grandfather while working as a Professor at Judson College, Myanmar, between 1913 and 1927. Others had been gifted to her by her students, and many she acquired during her own travels. Most of them are contemporary or recent – examples of current, living culture, which she chose for use in her teaching. She was attached to these objects, but it was so important to her that they be used by SOAS, to be seen and continued to be used by students now and in the future.

The legacy of Elizabeth at SOAS

It was a tragic shock to everyone at the Gallery and throughout the SOAS community when informed of her passing earlier this year. I had recently seen Elizabeth – I’d brought her a little souvenir from a recent trip I’d made – and suddenly, that was our final interaction. 

I am not the right person to write a eulogy to her, and I am sure there are many who will want to do so, but I did want to highlight this legacy of Elizabeth's, one of many, and to bring to light the charming and intriguing objects she gave to SOAS and our Collections.

Many of the objects donated by Professor Moore can be seen in our current exhibition in the SOAS Gallery exhibition space, in the Foyle Gallery (the blue room at the back, on the ground floor) and also among the Teaching & Handling collections used for displays in the SOAS Library every year, curated by the SOAS MA Curating Cultures students.