Sister Wendy Beckett (1930 - 2018) was the unlikely star of art history documentary programs on the BBC. In December 2012 Sister Wendy was the guest for BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs. Beckett emerged as an unlikely TV personality in the 1990s through her belief that art belongs to . In 1991, after 45 years of the cloistered life, Sister Wendy Beckett stepped out of the convent and into London's National Gallery. 4) by Franz Schubert, her chosen book was "an enormous book of logical puzzles", and her luxury item was a "refrigerated tabernacle". Why Netflix is dabbling in livestreaming, Before and after photos from space show storms effect on California reservoirs, Dramatic before and after photos from space show epic snow blanketing SoCal mountains, The chance of a lifetime: Five friends ski the tallest mountain in Los Angeles, Best coffee city in the world? Menu. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. 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 died on December 26, 2018. Leave your condolences to the family on this memorial page or send flowers to show you care. Wendy Mary Beckett was born in Johannesburg on Feb. 25, 1930, to Aubrey and Dorothy (Sheehan) Beckett. She died at the Carmelite Monastery in Quidenham at the age of 88. Sprinkle some salt on the dish, and, if you want to be really fancy, some chopped chives. . Beal sent it to her without charge. Until she was 61, she had been a model of worldly renunciation: a hermit living in a windowless trailer on the grounds of the Carmelite Monastery in East Anglia, subsisting mainly on skim milk and rarely speaking to anyone. Find the obituary of Wendy Ann Romanowski (1957 - 2023) from Kamloops, BC. According to the Guardians Aamna Mohdin, Sister Wendys father worried that she was too young to make such a commitment, but her mother supported the decision. I really didnt think it was anything, Sister Wendy recalled of her decision to talk about art on television in her book Sister Wendy on Prayer (2006). Read about our approach to external linking. 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 1990s. She had also written 15 books on art and religion, and was a celebrity on both sides of the Atlantic, featured in articles and mobbed by fans. Some people who were mainly other art historians and public figures didnt appreciate her black habit, big teeth, or lack of formal art history training. She in turn contributed most of her income to the convent. Obituaries Section. Menu. Like Sister Wendy, I believe that art is for everyone. She had a a unique presentation style, a deep knowledge of and passion for the arts, remembers Jonty Claypole, director of arts at the BBC, which broadcasted Sister Wendys programs. See also The Art of Looking at Art, a Britannica sidebar written by Sister Wendy. [33], Beckett died on 26 December 2018 at the Carmelite Monastery in Quidenham, Norfolk. Articles by The Associated Press, The AP. The Guardian. From Macbeth to Romeo and Juliet, William Three monotheistic religions are the so-called religions of the book. 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. Returning to South Africa, she taught for 15 years at a Cape Town convent and later lectured at Johannesburgs University of Witwatersrand. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Through this the two became good friends. McFadden, Robert D. Sister Wendy Beckett, Nun Who Became a BBC Star, Dies at 88. It seemed to her a modest venture. The juxtaposition of this diminutive figure with articulate and enlightening commentary on fine art never grew old. Terms of Use Let Jesus give himself. ", Close friend Xinran Xue said Beckett's death was "a huge loss for the art world. I do not use the word died, as someone with Sister Wendy's warmth, faith and devotion to share her knowledge does not die. A scene inside the Vatican from Sister Wendys Story of Painting, one of her many BBC series. A word that appears frequently is unwanted. In 1946, she entered the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, a Roman Catholic congregation of religious sisters dedicated to education. David Willcock, executive producer for Spire Films, has worked with Sister Wendy Beckett on several of her series. It launched her television career. Rapidly establishing herself as an unconventional and engaging commentator, fizzing with enthusiasm, she became a household name in the 1990s, in spite of the life of seclusion which she maintained between television recording sessions. In 1950 she enrolled at the University of Oxford, graduating (1954) with top honours in English. 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. Advertising Notice [14], Having overheard her commentary while attending an art exhibit, a film crew asked to videotape her. Subscribe to DailyArt Magazine newsletter, Sister Wendy Beckett, TV art historian, dies at 88, She loved Star Trek, horse racing and swigging Baileys: Art-loving Sister Wendy really was a one-off masterpieces, says JANE FRYER, Remembering Sister Wendy Beckett: beloved Nun, art historian and accidental TV phenomenon, Sister Wendy Beckett: an unlikely star with an inspirational faith in beauty, Sister Wendy Beckett, Nun Who Became a BBC Star, Dies at 88, The Art of Ekphrasis: Shakespeares Lucrece, Atala: The Tragedy that Transcended Pages. 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. Alexandra Kiely Pausing before the 16th century Italian painting Madonna and Child With Book, by Raphael, she zeroed in on the hefty baby Jesus. She joined a convent at 16 and started studying fine art in the 1980s. Royalties and residuals amounted to an income large enough for her to replace her trailer-hermitage for a newer model, with heat, and to put aside some money for her retirement, as well as help pay the convents expenses. Her steel could also be glimpsed in relation to what she insisted was her own very minor celebrity. Reminding viewers that this child was the son of God in Christian theology, she offered her unconventional best advice. A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials. God is such a total mystery. At lunchtime, her waiter sang to her on bended knee beside her chair. No one else does it quite like you, one woman told her. 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. [8], Outside her academic work, she lived in a convent which maintained the strict code of silence typical in convents prior to the changes following the Second Vatican Council (19621965). "She was a hugely popular BBC presenter and will be fondly remembered by us all. Oxford University List of Members for the Year 1972, London, OUP, 1972, p.720, which records full name. The piece caught the eye of a British Broadcasting Company (BBC) producer, and in 1992 Sister Wendys Odyssey made its debut. Her knowledge has passed down and is now ingrained in many people through her books and television programmes. Brigit Katz is a freelance writer based in Toronto. I was impressed by the depth of her knowledge, even of artists who are not well known, he said. In a 2000 interview with PBS, she explained her appreciation of non-Christian religious art: all great religions are great because theyre based upon the longings of the human heart. Sister Wendy Beckett Obituary. Submit an Obituary . There was no big Should I give up the caravan to do television? or Am I spoiling my hermit life? she recalled in her book Sister Wendy on Prayer (2006). 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). She had a gift for storytelling and drama, as well as a clear passion for her subject matter. Some of her art world colleagues criticized her lack of exposure to original works of art, but she had at least as many admirers. Beckett narrates the following documentaries: In 2006 she narrated an audio commentary for tourists to the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican: Additionally, she features in the following: As a television presenter, she is known for having had a rhotacism, a speech impediment which affected her pronunciation of Rs.[4][29][30]. After obtaining permission to study art in the 1980s - largely through books and postcard reproductions of the great works obtained from galleries - Sister Wendy decided to write a book to earn money for her convent. The saints are the people, weak and imperfect like ourselves, who said a total Yes to Gods love. 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. From then on, she was not a member of any religious order but continued to wear a homemade black habit, a variation on the one she wore as a Sister of Notre Dame. I think that this type of open-mindedness towards things outside our usual preferences is essential for every art lover. She cut an unconventional figure for a television personality with her black nuns habit and oversized eyeglasses. I think Mother called me Wendy because she thought I would be small and pretty. She was probably rather taken aback when she got this lump of a child who did nothing but read. She spent part of her childhood in Edinburgh, where her father trained to be a doctor before returning to South Africa. 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. As it so happened, her trip coincided with a visit from a television crew, which was getting ready to film the feminist theorist Germaine Greer. I will always be a nun. She had spent more than 20 years in a convent, perfecting the ways of religious life. Eventually, she decided to publish an art book to earn money for the convent. I thought it was just a weekend here or there.. 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. 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. Wendy was born in Johannesburg to Aubrey and Dorothy Beckett. Accessed online. Los Angeles, Stranger Things play that may hold key to the end taking 1959 Hawkins to West End, Commentary: Now hiring! American-English poet, playwright, and literary critic. Her request was granted, and in 1970 she moved back to England, settling on the grounds of the Carmelite monastery in Quidenham, Norfolk. All of her earnings were also assigned to the Carmelite order. We never missed her in our house. I have an electric kettle, fridge, warming oven and night storage heater, so my life is as comfortable as it needs to be., Sister Wendy Beckett, Nun Who Became a BBC Star, Dies at 88, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/26/obituaries/sister-wendy-beckett-dead.html. Starting in the early 80s, she began to put down on paper often in close type, squeezed onto the back of a recycled luggage label her thoughts about paintings that she had only ever seen in reproduction. Even throughout her success, Beckett remained dedicated to the convent. It was to her that we turned, in 2009, for a review of a book about the darkness in Mother Teresas life: This woman who felt that there was no God and lived in emotional anguish was also profoundly aware, intellectually, that God was her total life and that she lived only to love him. She assigned all her earnings to a Carmelite order that had sheltered her for decades, and she attended Mass daily, even when traveling. Your Privacy Rights She died at the Carmelite Monastery in Quidenham at the age of 88. Shame on you, Degas, she scolded the French Impressionist for portraying women in gawky poses. God looked at his creation and said, It is good. In another interview she added, Theres too much puritanical fear of pleasure., She was fully aware that a woman of the cloth could scare some people off. Think young sumo wrestler.. She was a sister of the Catholic Church who became prominent in the 1990s presenting BBC shows about art history. She was a hit, a natural if eccentric personality with a gift for drama that made art accessible to the general public. Interview with Clive Anderson, BBC Radio 2, 28 January 2007, Postcards from God: The Sister Wendy Musical, "World of Sister Wendy Beckett, nun and art historian", "Sister Wendy Beckett, Nun Who Became a BBC Star, Dies at 88", "Sister Wendy Beckett British nun and art critic", "Sister Wendy Beckett | British nun and art critic", "Sister Wendy At The Norton Simon Museum", "500 Years On, The Vatican Museums Go Digital", "Sister Wendy's American Collection About the Series Buy the Book", "BBC Four Churches: How to Read Them, Reformation: Chaos and Creation", "BBC Four Arena, Sister Wendy and the Art of the Gospel", "Arena Sister Wendy and the Art of the Gospel", "She May Not Get Out Much, but She Does Know a Lot About Art", "BBC Radio 4 Desert Island Discs, Sister Wendy Beckett", "Sister Wendy Beckett, TV art historian, dies at 88", "Wendy Beckett Books List of books by author Wendy Beckett", "Publication: The Christ Journey Sister Wendy Beckett reflects on the art of Greg Tricker", "Sister Wendy Contemplates Saint Paul in Art 9780854397525 by Beckett, Wendy- St Pauls Publishing of 0/11/2008", "Speaking to the Heart: 100 Favourite Poems by Wendy Beckett - Books", "Sister Wendy Beckett - British nun and art critic", "Inner Life: A Fellow Traveler's Guide to Prayer", "The Duke and the Peasant: Life in the Middle Ages (Adventures in Art Series)", "Nonfiction Book Review: Mystical Now C by Sister Wendy Beckett, Author, Wendy Beckett, Author Universe Publishing(NY) $25.95 (160p) ISBN 978-0-87663-647-3", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wendy_Beckett&oldid=1126090621, This page was last edited on 7 December 2022, at 13:18. (Orbis/Twitter via @carmelitespirit) Back in the 1990s, Sister Wendy Beckett (1930-2018), a contemplative nun and consecrated virgin, delighted audiences worldwide with her lively BBC documentaries on the history of art. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sister-Wendy-Beckett, PBS Online - Sister Wendy's American Collection. BBC. But those who made series such as Sister Wendys Odyssey (1992) and Sister Wendys Story of Painting (1996) recall that, at the time, she seemed to be enjoying herself on and off camera. [12], Beckett was often effusively verbal in her descriptions of the human body in paintings, both male and female. Sister Wendy. As the BBC reports, Sister Wendy died Wednesday, December 26, at the age of 88. Alexandra believes that enjoying the art of the past is the closest she can get to time travel, only much safer. She always returned to the austere seclusion that was her home for nearly a half-century, although her trailer was upgraded in 1994. Beckett, Sister Wendy. 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. When he finally met her at LACMA, Beal understood. In fact, anyone who has a narrow sense of their religion, whether theyre Jew or Christian or Muslim or whatever, has only to look long and intelligently at the great work of another tradition and they will see what the religions have in common. This book, entitled The Iconic Jesus, takes the reader through scenes from the New Testament, accompanied by Beckett's reflections. . Beckett, Sister Wendy with Patricia Wright. 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.. In view of her religious state, this came as a surprise to some viewers. That is too final a word. , An Interview,Sister Wendys American Collection, PBS. We love art history and writing about it. [9] Later she moved to Johannesburg where she was appointed the superior of the local convent, while she also lectured at the University of the Witwatersrand. Non-subscribers canreadfour articles for free each month. 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. Updates? Socialites give up their cab for her.. I think that her popular acclaim can inspire all of us at times when we feel like we dont fit the mold. Sister Wendy Beckett: an unlikely star with an inspirational faith in beauty. Sister Wendy eventually wrote some 25 books, including collections of poetry and meditations, and made a dozen documentaries, many released on DVD. She was 88.[34]. The body is Gods creation, like a tree, only better designed, she once replied. She graduated at the top of her class. Sister Wendy began stud Its clear from just a quick glance at one of her videos that Sister Wendy truly believed in the power of art and beauty. Beckett was born in South Africa and raised in Scotland. Sister Wendy Beckett, TV art historian, dies at 88. She even used to promise to enlist the nuns of Quidenham to pray that some of the unmarried women producers she worked with would find suitable partners. Postcards from God was created by Marcus Reeves, not the originators of Jerry Springer: The Musical as stated in an earlier version. 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. The Carmelite Monastery of Quidenham said Beckett died at the monastery Wednesday afternoon. Check out some of the. She spoke very comfortably and often highly of such works. She liked wonderful sweet people who thanked her for helping them understand paintings, she told The New York Times in 1997. And when she did begin studying it, she did so all on her own, through books. Dave Quinn is an Editor for PEOPLE, working across a number of verticals including the Entertainment, Lifestyle and News teams. She died at the Carmelite Monastery in Quidenham at the age of 88. Thank you for your help! She died at the Carmelite Monastery in Quidenham at the age of 88. Three Jesuit astronomers and the 16th-century pope who commissioned the Gregorian calendar have recently been honored with having asteroids named after them. The sisters worried about the lack of insulation, so they put up a small mobile home, which has a lavatory, bathroom and light fittings, she told The Telegraph of London in 2010. In 1991, a BBC producer, Nicholas Rossiter, persuaded her to do a stand-up documentary about Britains National Gallery, talking about its paintings. Her next book, published in 2011, The Christ Journey, consists of her commentaries on the artwork of Greg Tricker. 11 January 2019 min Read, Sister Wendy Beckett, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, Sept. 4, 1997. At some stage, she would walk over to the Carmel to collect food and her post and then turn in for the night at 6pm. 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. Her first book, Contemporary Women Artists, was published in 1988. She prayed seven hours a day and went out only to morning Mass or to a mobile library van for books. Whether thats Eve or not, theres a human face there looking straight at Adam with the eyes daring him to respond to the challenge. Asked how she managed to read so many crime novels, Beckett had a quick answer. . As a frequent reader of our website, you know how important Americas voice is in the conversation about the church and the world. Dont think, fat little bloke, she said. December 27, 2018. Sister Wendy speaking about the true meaning of Christmas and iconography (video originally published in 2010). But persistent heart trouble and a history of epilepsy drained her strength. 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". By 2002, Beckett had published some 20 books and completed 11 art programs for public television. Her appearance in an ITV programme, Visions, described as a beautiful vignette, was followed two years later by her own programme, Sister Wendys Odyssey. I dread being someone wholl fritter it away., Her profound expositions of the paintings are deceptively simple, wrote our TV reviewer in 2013, of Sister Wendy and the Art of the Gospel. 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. You can find a full list of her works here. If youre already a subscriber or donor, thank you! Carmen Hermo, January 8, 2019 British nun and art critic, Sister Wendy Beckett. Submit an Obituary. More series followed, including a ten-part documentary that saw Sister Wendy travel to visit artworks in 12 different countries. [7] J. R. R. Tolkien was president of her final examinations board and asked her to stay on at the university, an invitation which she declined. We can't do it without youAmerica Media relies on generous support from our readers. "[5], Beckett was born in the Union of South Africa, but was later raised in Edinburgh, Scotland where her father was studying medicine. Sister Wendy Beckett . The Carmelites offered her a home on their property and took care of her for the rest of her life. Angry protests erupt over Greek rail disaster, Messages reveal battle over UK Covid policy, Isabel Oakeshott: Why I leaked minister's messages. Faced with poor health, Sister Wendy asked to pursue a life of solitude. Sister Wendy died on December 26, 2018 at the age of 88. From the time I was age 2, my family knew that I would be a nun, she once said. The Most Memorable Contestants of 'American Idol': Where Are They Now? Insightful, passionate, intelligent, contemplative. Wondering why we ask for your email, or having trouble registering. Sister Wendys Story of Painting was one of my first art books as a child. I hope that her books and videos will continue to inspire people to visit museums. Odyssey was the most successful BBC art program since Kenneth Clarks Civilisation, which aired in the United States 23 years earlier. Maintaining her vow of poverty, she donated all her earnings to the Carmelite order. After attending the Notre Dame College of Education in Liverpool and earning a teaching diploma in 1954, she returned to South Africa to teach at Notre Dame Convent, a school for girls in Constantia, Cape Town, where she taught English and Latin. Her favorite artists, according to the Times, were Poussin, Velazquez, Goya, Titian and Cezanne, some of the most revered names in art history. It was while attending an art exhibit that a film crew overheard her comments and asked to videotape her. Sister Wendy Beckett, (born February 25, 1930, Johannesburg, South Africadied December 26, 2018, East Harling, England), South African-born British nun who appeared on a series of popular television shows and wrote a number of books as an art critic. Standing before a double nude portrait by modern British painter Stanley Spencer, she observed, I love all those glistening strands of his hair. Her order agreed to her living thereafter under the protection of the Carmelites in Norfolk as a hermit, devoting herself to prayer. The Guardian. Her book Art and the Sacred was published in 1992. But her insightful, unscripted commentaries a blend of history, criticism and observations on Leonardo da Vinci, van Gogh, Botticelli, Rembrandt, Monet and other Western masters connected emotionally with millions in Britain and America. [easyazon_image align=none height=110 identifier=0789446030 locale=US src=https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/51J28BR7K1L.SL110.jpg tag=dailyartdaily-20 width=92][easyazon_image align=none height=110 identifier=B000GIXLTS locale=US src=https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/51V86dbUPwL.SL110.jpg tag=dailyartdaily-20 width=77][easyazon_image align=none height=110 identifier=0789468050 locale=US src=https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/51sRg6KfHyL.SL110.jpg tag=dailyartdaily-20 width=84]. Her first book, Contemporary Women Artists, was published in 1988. [12] Sister Wendy Contemplates Saint Paul in Art was published in 2008 to celebrate the Year of Saint Paul. 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. When she's not being an art historian, she can usually be found ice skating and dancing. I am prepared to marvel at their inexplicable enthusiasm.. When she was a child, her family moved to Edinburgh, Scotland, where her father attended medical school before they returned to South Africa. And, while its always recommended to spend lots of time in the actual presence of artworks, you can still cultivate knowledge and appreciation even if your situation doesnt allow for it. Sister Wendy began stud. She basically taught herself everything she knew about art, and then she taught it to lots of other people. Sister Wendy Beckett (1930 - 2018) was the unlikely star of art history documentary programs on the BBC. Two other series on art, Sister Wendys Grand Tour (1994) and Sister Wendys Story of Painting (1997), appeared on the BBC and were soon shown throughout Europe. 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. She once observed: It is my apostolic duty to talk about art. 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. Theyre concerned with the big, beautiful fundamentals, and there I have never had any problem. LONDON (AP) Sister Wendy Beckett, an art historian and critic who rose to prominence on TV late in life, has died. Postcards from God: The Sister Wendy Musical, created by Marcus Reeves, ran briefly and camply in a small West End venue. 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. 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.

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