Socialites give up their cab for her.. She once observed: It is my apostolic duty to talk about art. Sympathy Ideas . Menu. Through this the two became good friends. Give yourself over to contemplation. She was, the Church Times TV critic at that time, David Johnson, observed, an unself-conscious natural for television. Sister Wendy began. She was 88. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. I find myself saying to myself firmly that I might not have been interested or excited or challenged by what Ive seen, she said on a rare trip to London in 2008 to see an exhibition by those on the Turner Prize shortlist, but the artists who made these installations must have been. The saints are the people, weak and imperfect like ourselves, who said a total Yes to Gods love. The routine she followed in the caravan was both simple and extraordinary. Omissions? Articles by The Associated Press, The AP. She never liked her Catholic parents choice of name. You can find a full list of her works here. When you register, youll get unlimited access to our website and a free subscription to our email newsletter for daily updates with a smart, Catholic take on faith and culture from, In this 1997 file photo, Sister Wendy Beckett, a Roman Catholic nun of the Sisters of Notre Dame, who lives in Colinton, England, and is a well-known art critic, stands near an unidentified sarcophagus at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. Sign up and get your dose of art history delivered straight to your inbox! She graduated from Oxford University as an honor student in literature in 1954 but taught herself the history of art from the hermits trailer where she lived on the grounds of a Carmelite monastery in Norfolk, England. Menu. I hope that her books and videos will continue to inspire people to visit museums. As he drove his spear through her throat, she said, their eyes met, and he saw how young she was and how lovely and brave. Sister Wendy began stud But audiences were captivated by her richly human tales, which brought art to life. This was the main reason she ventured outside her beloved life of solitude to help people experience the joys and spiritual benefits of fine art, which she believed should be shared by all. Kalai, Leonidas. Sister Wendy Beckett (1930 - 2018) was the unlikely star of art history documentary programs on the BBC. Her unique style drew close to 4 million viewers, mesmerized by her billowing black robes and unpretentious observations. 2023 Smithsonian Magazine Viewers were astonished and delighted, especially by some of her uninhibited expressions of rapture. Menu. She and Michelangelo are no doubt having an in depth eternal discussion about the latters art work in the Sistine Chapel. He added: "She was a hugely popular BBC presenter and will be fondly remembered by us all.". . We ask readers to log in so that we can recognize you as a registered user and give you unrestricted access to our website. She insisted, however, on describing the depiction of the human anatomy in art when it was called for, stating that "God did not make a mistake when He created the human body, so I am not making a mistake by describing it.". God is such a total mystery. She was sent to England where she completed her novitiate and then studied at St Anne's College, Oxford, where she was awarded a congratulatory first class honours degree[6] in English Literature. [4] In 1997 she made her debut on US public television, with The New York Times describing her as "a sometime hermit who is fast on her way to becoming the most unlikely and famous art critic in the history of television. She had regular contact with just one other person: the nun who brought her milk and the mail. Ive no time for gardening and letter-writing, the usual let-outs for those who are alone.. Sister Wendy Beckett (1930 - 2018) was the unlikely star of art history documentary programs on the BBC. (You will need to register. According to The New York Times, she attended mass daily. After attending a teachers college in Liverpool, England, she returned to South Africa, where she taught for 15 years. She was a hit, a natural if eccentric personality with a gift for drama that made art accessible to the general public. The BBC said it commissioned Beckett in 1991 to host a TV documentary on the National Gallery in London. She was 88.[34]. At funeral, pope remembers Benedict's 'wisdom, tenderness, devotion' by . Schoolchildren ran to her side when they saw her crossing the county museums plaza. Known for her witty and eye-opening commentary on art, all made while dressed in her black nun habit, Beckett led a series of documentary programs for the BBC in the 1990s and early 2000s. I loved listening to her talk about art. Faced with poor health, Sister Wendy asked to pursue a life of solitude. She loved Star Trek, horse racing and swigging Baileys: Art-loving Sister Wendy really was a one-off masterpieces, says JANE FRYER. In 1954 Sister Wendy completed her teaching diploma in Liverpool and returned to South . She basically taught herself everything she knew about art, and then she taught it to lots of other people. Contemporary Women Artists, published in 1988, was followed by more books and articles. She died at the Carmelite Monastery in Quidenham at the age of 88. Take it and sit by the window in the sunlight and slowly and reverently eat this dish., Her first book on art, Contemporary Women Artists, was published in 1988. , An Interview,Sister Wendys American Collection, PBS. Obituaries Section. Despite her old-fashioned garb, her views on Catholicism were anything but traditional. After graduating in style, however, she soldiered on for 17 years in convent schools in South Africa, feeling she had no alternative, until finally her health collapsed. I spend a lot of time looking at and reading about art, but I still came away with a new appreciation and perspective after watching videos like this one. She assigned all her earnings to a Carmelite order that had sheltered her for decades, and she attended Mass daily, even when traveling. Visitation was held on Thursday, February 23rd 2023 at 11:00 AM at the . As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. She was a sister of the Catholic Church who became prominent in the 1990s presenting BBC shows about art history. (AP Photo/Victoria Arocho, File), Were sorry registration isn't working smoothly for you. We can't do it without youAmerica Media relies on generous support from our readers. Once she had finished her degree, Sister Wendy returned to South Africa and spent some 20 years teaching in convent schools. In the 19th century, Europeans went crazy for one story: Atala, or the Story of Two Lovers in the Desert. She claimed to not really like either the travel or the attention involved in her endeavors, but she said she felt good when hearing from people who were positively impacted by her work. Sister Wendys Book of Saints, published in 1998, was well received. She died at 14:30 GMT at the Carmelite monastery in Quidenham. Becketts frequent director, David Willcock, referred to her as Wens and marveled at the effect she had on strangers. In the late 1990s, Sister Wendy Beckett visited the Los Angeles County Museum of Art for her series on U.S. museums. Her great delight was reading, and, after studying at St Annes College, she graduated with a Congratulatory First in English Literature from Oxford J. R. R. Tolkein led the applause before spending two decades working as a teacher something that she regarded as a martyrdom. Anyone can read what you share. But persistent heart trouble and a history of epilepsy drained her strength. As well as more shows, she now gained opportunities to be a published writer on specifically religious subjects, such as the saints, icons, and prayer. Critics pointed to her gapped teeth and her way of pronouncing r as if it were w. Her producers were more impressed by the pithy, ad-lib analyses she could fit neatly into a soundbite, a feat that won her a reputation as one-take Wendy., From the airing of her first series, Sister Wendys Odyssey, in 1992, she evaluated artworks as if the artist were standing beside her. No one else does it quite like you, one woman told her. Emerging from her hermit-like existence in a caravan at a Carmelite monastery in Norfolk, she hosted unscripted BBC shows from galleries across the world. For many people, including . To those who regarded her life as a hermit and a TV celebrity as self-contradictory, the response lay in her sense of obedience. She was a hugely popular BBC presenter and will be fondly remembered by us all.. Yet, this relationship between arts is not unidirectional. She liked wonderful sweet people who thanked her for helping them understand paintings, she told The New York Times in 1997. When Randall Wright, a BBC arts producer, happened to see her on a regional network, he recruited her for a documentary called Sister Wendys Odyssey. In 2001 poor health and a desire to return to a life of solitude led Sister Wendy to announce that she was ending her BBC series. Her father was a bank clerk who later changed careers to be a doctor. After Sister Wendys American Collection and Sister Wendy at the Norton Simon Museum had made her name with US TV viewers in 2001-02, she declined any further offers. Her favourite choice was "Serenade" (D 957 No. Her request was granted, and in 1970 she moved back to England, settling on the grounds of the Carmelite monastery in Quidenham, Norfolk. Sister Wendy Beckett in 1997. Accessed online. Her favorite artists, according to the Times, were Poussin, Velazquez, Goya, Titian and Cezanne, some of the most revered names in art history. Sister Wendy Beckett (1930-2018) was probably the world's most unconventional art historian. PEOPLE Picks the Best New Books of the Week, 'Top Chef' Houston: Meet the Chefs Competing on the New Season of Bravo's Food Series. She also suggested that she only said yes to the BBC because she felt the need to make a small financial contribution to the monastery for her keep and had been forced by ill health to give up her work as a translator of medieval Latin manuscripts in the late 70s. She dressed not as a Carmelite, but in a traditional black and white habit that she designed herself, merging features from several orders. While she always loved art, she only started studying it after she became too sick to continue her translation work. In 1988 her first book, Contemporary Women Artists, was published. Since youre a frequent reader of our website, we want to be able to share even more great, As a frequent reader of our website, you know how important, Sister Wendy Beckett meditates on Janet McKenzie's "The Holy Family", Cardinal Cupich: Critics of Pope Francis Latin Mass restrictions should listen to JPII, Cardinal McElroy on radical inclusion for L.G.B.T. Nicknamed the Art Nun, she offered eloquent and down-to-earth commentary that made art accessible to everyone. Her work has appeared in a number of publications, including NYmag.com, Flavorwire and Tina Brown Media's Women in the World. But far from it! In 1970, she returned to England and moved into the trailer at the Carmelite Monastery. Sister Wendy Beckett (1930 - 2018) was the unlikely star of art history documentary programs on the BBC. Born in South Africa in 1930, and raised in Scotland, she joined the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur when she was just 17 years old. Surely, most people would be deeply moved by this programme, and drawn to the conclusion that there might be more to this Christianity stuff than they had ever thought., SISTER MARGARET DEWEY SSM, who died on 8 June, aged 94, belonged to an upstate New York family, whose ancestors arrived from England in the 17th century. For the column Prayer for the Week in August 2004, she chose the shortest and most immediate of biblical and other prayers, about which she wrote with a directness that came from discipline both intellectual and spiritual. Sister Wendy Beckett was a BBC presenter and art historian. As it so happened, her trip coincided with a . He fell in love but he killed her.. The Republican Homepage. What Sister Wendy Beckett, the Late Nun and Popular Art Historian, Taught Me About Being a Curator She made me want to study art history. The series followed a simple format: Sister Wendy stood next to an artwork and gave her reaction to the piece. She died at the Carmelite Monastery in Quidenham at the age of 88. Captains of industry rush around to find her a needle and thread, he said of a typical day with Sister Wendy. As her fame grew, her passion for military history, crossword puzzles and detective stories became public knowledge. The body is Gods creation, like a tree, only better designed, she once replied. When they overheard Sister Wendys musings on the art, the crew members trained their camera on her, kickstarting her unlikely career on the small screen, as host of a series of beloved programs about the worlds greatest artworks. Thanks to it, we will be able to sustain and grow the Magazine. Sister Wendy died on December 26, 2018 at the age of 88. The juxtaposition of this diminutive figure with articulate and enlightening commentary on fine art never grew old. Her death was confirmed by the Carmelite Monastery in Quidenham, England, where she had lived in a trailer for decades, though not as a member of the Carmelite order. BBC director of arts Jonty Claypole paid tribute, saying Sister Wendy had "a unique presentation style, a deep knowledge of and passion for the arts". It was seen in some of her verdicts on modern artists who failed to interest her, though cloaked as ever in a show of nun-like Christian charity. Sister Wendy Beckett (1930 - 2018) was the unlikely star of art history documentary programs on the BBC. Theyre considered the most successful BBC arts programs since art historian Kenneth Clarks landmark 1969 documentaries, Civilisation. Try, even for a few moments, to find a place apart. Sister Wendys Grand Tour: Discovering Europes Greatest Art. Sister Wendy Beckett, who has died aged 88, could be dismissive of the high-profile television work that made this hermit nun with owl-like glasses into an unlikely household name during the. Sister Wendy was great. Pausing before the 16th century Italian painting Madonna and Child With Book, by Raphael, she zeroed in on the hefty baby Jesus. Sister Wendy Beckett passed away on Boxing Day 2018. Her most ambitious series, Sister Wendys Story of Painting, took her 30,000 miles through Europe, the Middle East and the United States, to survey works ranging from prehistoric cave paintings in France to the masterpieces of Picasso and the Pop Art of Andy Warhol. She knew many of these artworks only from reproductions, and the part of the shows magic was capturing the moment she encountered these works for the first time in person. By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes. And indeed wicked it is! As a devout Catholic and Consecrated Virgin, you might expect Sister Wendy to have been uncomfortable addressing works of art from other religions, nudes, and sexual subject matter. At Oxford University, as a student in her early 20s, Beckett lived in a nuns hostel and soon after graduation moved back to South Africa to teach in a religious school. Her work included a series of well received documentaries including "Sister Wendy's Odyssey" and "Sister Wendy's Grand Tour.". When Sister Wendy Beckett took a rare break from her life of solitude to visit an art gallery, the hermetic nun didn't expect to end up a celebrity. Wendy Mary Beckett [1] (25 February 1930 - 26 December 2018), better known as Sister Wendy, was a British religious sister and art historian [2] who became known internationally during the 1990s when she presented a series of BBC television documentaries on the history of art. With humour and a gift for storytelling, she brought life and drama to the work. Born in South Africa in 1930, she wanted to be a nun as a child, and joined the Sisters of Notre Dame, aged 16. She became Sister Wendy after Vatican reforms relaxed formalities. Her father was a physician. 2023 BBC. . The Carmelite Monastery of Quidenham said Beckett died at the . Her novelty may have also worn off for commissioners in Britain, for her subsequent attempt to return to our screens to present a short series on Orthodox icons, a great passion, failed to find a taker. In the 1950s, Sister Wendys order sent her to Oxford University, where she studied English literature and was awarded a Congratulatory First, a prestigious honor that is only bestowed upon a select few students. This recording, from the translation by M. L. Del Mastro and adapted for Sister Wendy by Donna K. Triggs, was finally released as a CD in 2021, entitled Revelations of Divine Love by Julian of Norwich read by Sister Wendy Beckett. SISTER Wendy Beckett, who died on 26 December, aged 88, had been a Religious, leading a solitary life for two decades before she accepted an invitation to appear in a BBC documentary about the National Gallery. Seen on PBS. Asked once to explain her choice, she said, I am a nun. Its because of you that Im here today.. When he finally met her at LACMA, Beal understood. In 1991, after 45 years of the cloistered life, Sister Wendy Beckett stepped out of the convent and into London's National Gallery. Beckett, Sister Wendy. Theres little question that she caught a lot of peoples attention by walking around major museums in her nuns attire, looking and sounding like a conservative grandmother, and then saying perceptive and sassy things like this She had a musical written about her, so people clearly found her compelling. A person can pray and read at the same time., Often in frail health, she spent most of her public life in a wheelchair and only stood up to deliver her light, witty comments before the camera. All of her earnings were also assigned to the Carmelite order. She stood in front of the paintings dressed in a black nun's habit and discussed the paintings without a script or teleprompter. Her caravan in the grounds of the Carmel was small, cold and basic, but was crammed with postcards and calendars of works of art. Odyssey was the most successful BBC art program since Kenneth Clarks Civilisation, which aired in the United States 23 years earlier. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. 11 January 2019 min Read, Sister Wendy Beckett, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, Sept. 4, 1997. Of a postcoital self-portrait by Sir Stanley Spencer with Patricia Preece, Sister Wendy confessed, I love all those glistening strands of hair, and her pubic hair is so soft and fluffy., It was a sensation, widely quoted. DailyArt Magazine needs your support. At an art exhibit in Norfolk, where a BBC camera crew happened to be taping a documentary about feminist author Germaine Greer, Beckett was asked to give her impression of the show on tape. New York: Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 1994. Requiescat in pace, Sister Wendy. She had a gift for storytelling and drama, as well as a clear passion for her subject matter. Beckett continued writing about her interest in icons in the second volume of her Sister Wendy Contemplates series, published in July 2011. 2. Afflicted by stress-induced epileptic fits, she returned to England and became a consecrated virgin, moving into a caravan in the grounds of the Carmelite convent at Quidenham, in Norfolk, and working on Latin translation. In the 1980s, Sister Wendy obtained permission from her superiors to start studying art, which she did by combing through books and examining postcard reproductions of famous works. Wendy Mary Beckett[1] (25 February 1930 26 December 2018), better known as Sister Wendy, was a British religious sister and art historian[2] who became known internationally during the 1990s when she presented a series of BBC television documentaries on the history of art. She graduated at the top of her class. Born Wendy Mary Beckett in Johannesburg, she moved as a child to Scotland, in 1946 joined the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, a teaching order, and earned a degree in . In May 2009, Encounters with God: In Quest of the Ancient Icons of Mary was published, which follows Beckett's pilgrimage to see the earliest icons of Mary which had survived the Byzantine Iconoclasm. If I had known how much time it would take, I would never have started it.. Her attitude to Sister Wendy on Prayer, published in 2007, was ambivalent. The Daily Mail. We ask our visitors to confirm their email to keep your account secure and make sure you're able to receive email from us. So in her honor, lets learn a few important things from Sister Wendy. The Grand Tour took Sister Wendy to cities including Paris, Madrid and Florence in 1996, Sister Wendy's Odyssey showed the unlikely TV star at her caravan in Norfolk in 1992, Isabel Oakeshott: Why I leaked minister's messages. I will always be a nun. She had spent more than 20 years in a convent, perfecting the ways of religious life. She was a brilliant art critic.". In December 2012 Sister Wendy was the guest for BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs. Sister Wendy Beckett (1930 - 2018) was the unlikely star of art history documentary programs on the BBC. Making television isnt the kind of prayer I would have chosen, but its what God chose for me, she told her interviewer for the radio programme Desert Island Discs. She once said she persisted because she had a calling to talk about art in ways the average person could appreciate. The nun passed away on Boxing Day 2018 at the age of 88 - here's everything you need to know about her. Frank Bruni, in The Times, said, The incongruity of such passionate and often sensuous statements coming from a hunched, bespectacled, 67-year-old nun is the secret to much of Sister Wendys charm and success.. She preferred the quiet monastic life but felt that introducing people to art was a calling too strong to ignore. This is an exciting opportunity to oversee and further develop our formal programme for the development of curates (IME Phase 2). If you dont know about God, art is the only thing that can set you free, she explained. Still, she was spellbound by art: She read about it voraciously, and began writing about it. Sister Wendy Beckett, TV art historian, dies at 88. (Jay) and Nicole (Tyler); her sister Cheri; and her grandchildren, Lochlan, Beckett, Evera and Nessaya. Sister Wendy herself said she was bemused but not displeased by the accolade. The programs like Sister Wendys Odyssey, Sister Wendys Grand Tour, and Sister Wendys Story of a Painting were immediate hits, often drawing a 25 percent share of the British viewing audience, according to The New York Times. It led in turn to an appearance on a TV arts show and eventually to five major series, scripted and presented by one-take-Wendy, as she was known to directors. But when she wasnt on camera, she went back to solitary contemplation. I know that the way God gives himself to me is not the way he gives himself to most people, and its no good just talking about God and me., Sometimes, I wake up breathless with wonder at what God has given me, she said. She lived here as a hermit, rising at midnight to pray, and giving seven hours each day to her devotions. She cut an unconventional figure for a television personality with her black nuns habit and oversized eyeglasses. Nun and art critic who found fame in the 1990s with her popular TV programmes, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. Sister Wendy was definitely not what you would expect in either an art critic or a television personality. Menu. Our Diocesan Mission & Ministry Committee exists to help each congregation to grow in their mission and ministry under this vision, and wishes to appoint to a new post to support its work. She taught in Cape Town, South Africa, and Liverpool in northern England. Obituaries Section. In addition to her work on the small screen, Sister Wendy continued to write art books, including The Story of Painting (1994) and Sister Wendys American Masterpieces (2000). From the time I was age 2, my family knew that I would be a nun, she once said. She obtained papal permission to leave her congregation and to become a consecrated virgin and hermit. Do you have a vision for how to proclaim the Gospel afresh for this generation? She was ambivalent about celebrity. Climb the mountain. Sister Wendy Beckett the Roman Catholic nun who became an unconventional television star died on Wednesday at the age of 88, the Carmelite Monastery in Quidenham, England confirmed to PEOPLE. You make such a fool of yourself.. Later, as an act of humility, she reclaimed her given name. [14], Having overheard her commentary while attending an art exhibit, a film crew asked to videotape her. She in turn contributed most of her income to the convent. Sprinkle some salt on the dish, and, if you want to be really fancy, some chopped chives. American-English poet, playwright, and literary critic. Sister Wendy Beckett, the Roman Catholic nun who left her cloistered convent life to launch a television career in later life and became an unlikely small screen star, has died aged 88. That is too final a word. She was 88. In Sister Wendys Grand Tour, she wrote: I look forward to the day when it will dawn upon everybody that they can have odysseys and Grand Tours and share the fruits of the world. TV art historian and nun Sister Wendy Beckett has died at the age of 88, it has been announced. Her order agreed to her living thereafter under the protection of the Carmelites in Norfolk as a hermit, devoting herself to prayer. It is not that they were strong enough, or virtuous enough, to win his love, because that love is always freely given, but only those we call saints actually did that blessed taking; accepted the reality of being loved with all its consequences, she wrote. The Carmelites offered her a home on their property and took care of her for the rest of her life. You can also manage your account details and your print subscription after logging in. This article was amended on 31 December 2018. She would get up at 1am, the best time for prayer and contemplation, she said. In moments of candour, though, she would admit that she liked to share knowledge she had originally joined a teaching order, the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, in 1947, but had to give up the classroom after having epileptic seizures brought on by stress. Chang, 1994 just one other person: the nun who brought her milk the! General public to it, we will be fondly remembered by us all, the usual let-outs those... 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