If you dont know about God, art is the only thing that can set you free., After Sister Wendys appearance in the National Gallery documentary, the Controller of BBC2 rang the films director with the instruction: Give that nun a series.. The New York Times. Her appearance in an ITV programme, Visions, described as a beautiful vignette, was followed two years later by her own programme, Sister Wendys Odyssey. 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. Beckett was born in South Africa and raised in Scotland. Sister Wendy began. 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". But most viewers really liked her anyway, because she had a great personality on screen, she knew her art, and she made it interesting to them. Several years later, he moved to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and postcards from the Norfolk monastery arrived there. 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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. Meet Sister Wendy. Still, she was spellbound by art: She read about it voraciously, and began writing about it. They delivered her meals to the unheated trailer where she slept on the floor, surrounded by towers of art books. Sister Wendy Beckett, the TV star and art historian, has died at the age of 88. As the BBC reports, Sister Wendy died Wednesday, December 26, at the age of 88. This brought her to the attention of a BBC producer and led, in 1992, to the debut Sister Wendys Odyssey. Sister Wendy Beckett (1930-2018) was probably the world's most unconventional art historian. Mother Teresas life work was to care for the worlds unwanted. She called her television debut at the Norfolk gallery the fatal moment, in her interview with the Times. You can also manage your account details and your print subscription after logging in. Sister Wendy herself said she was bemused but not displeased by the accolade. I do not use the word died, as someone with Sister Wendy's warmth, faith and devotion to share her knowledge does not die. HEATHER KING. Her own preferences among the current generation featured figurative and often religious painters such as Greg Tricker, Simon Garden and James Gillick. . This unlikely celebrity eventually traveled the world, recording documentaries for British and U.S. television and writing numerous books. She died on December 26, 2018. Sister Wendy Beckett in 1997. She was 88. 2023 BBC. My time is for God. Behind her gentle, toothy smile, though, Sister Wendy could be fierce. 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. Her work included a series of well received documentaries including "Sister Wendy's Odyssey" and "Sister Wendy's Grand Tour.". Copyright 2023 America Press Inc. | All Rights Reserved. "She was a hugely popular BBC presenter and will be fondly remembered by us all. In the 1990s she became one of the most unlikely television stars. 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. Brigit Katz is a freelance writer based in Toronto. Sign up and get your dose of art history delivered straight to your inbox! In fact, being unusual might have even helped her. (You will need to register. 2023 Smithsonian Magazine 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. DailyArt Magazine needs your support. Advertising Notice She stood in front of the paintings dressed in a black nun's habit and discussed the paintings without a script or teleprompter. 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. Corrections? With humour and a gift for storytelling, she brought life and drama to the work. 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. For a 10-part 1994 BBC series, Sister Wendys Grand Tour, she crossed Europe and for the first time swooned over Matisse and Czanne at the Louvre in Paris, Michelangelos Piet in Rome, the canvases of Rembrandt and van Gogh in Amsterdam, and the art treasures of Madrid, Florence, Venice and Berlin. Password reset instructions will be sent to your registered email address. Beckett emerged as an unlikely TV personality in the 1990s through her belief that art belongs to . For many people, including . She was a brilliant art critic.". She was a hugely popular BBC presenter and will be fondly remembered by us all.. A musical, Postcards from God: The Sister Wendy Musical, written by Marcus Reeves and Beccy Smith[31] was performed at the Jermyn Street Theatre in the West End in 2007 and Hackney Empire Studio Theatre in 2008. Star Wendy Beckett See production, box office & company info Search on Amazon search for Blu-ray and DVD Add to Watchlist 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. In the mid-1980s Sister Wendy, who had long been interested in art, began writing essays for British journals, using only postcards and books as her primary reference material. (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. 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 . 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. 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. Seen on PBS. 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. 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. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. I loved listening to her talk about art. The impact she had on audiences was so great that she even had a musical written about her. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. And certainly those who accompanied her on the road enjoyed the more down-to-earth side she would display, enjoying a glass or two of wine (in preference to tea or water) to revive her when she felt faint, or counselling members of the crew on their romantic lives. Her favourite choice was "Serenade" (D 957 No. Sister Wendy began stud New York: Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 1994. [14], Having overheard her commentary while attending an art exhibit, a film crew asked to videotape her. The television chef Delia Smith, a Roman Catholic convert, volunteered to drive her there each week. 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. 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. December 26, 2018. If I had known how much time it would take, I would never have started it.. New York: DK Publishing Inc. in association with the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., 1994. She communicated with the Carmelites only by note and lived, for the most part, alone and in total silence. Then go back to the festivities and give him to others.. She would find time for a couple of hours of work, writing the occasional article and a series of well-received books on prayer, St Paul and the religious festivals. The saints are the people, weak and imperfect like ourselves, who said a total Yes to Gods love. In her passion for self-denial, she had not seen a movie since 1945, visited a museum or even seen a great painting, only reproductions in books. Sister Wendy's Story of Painting TV Series 1996 30 m IMDb RATING 7.9 /10 287 YOUR RATING Rate Documentary History Nun and art expert Sister Wendy Beckett, guides viewers on a chronological journey of the art medium. But her health began to faltershe was epilepticand she was permitted to pursue the life of a hermit near a convent of Carmelite nuns in East Anglia. A word that appears frequently is unwanted. 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. Maintaining her vow of poverty, she donated all her earnings to the Carmelite order. God is such a total mystery. If you login and register your print subscription number with your account, youll have unlimited access to the website. In 1950 she enrolled at the University of Oxford, graduating (1954) with top honours in English. She died at the Carmelite Monastery in Quidenham at the age of 88. Sister Wendy Beckett (1930 - 2018) was the unlikely star of art history documentary programs on the BBC. But, she added: Nothing is more humiliating than being on television. Sister Wendy Beckett Obituary. Sister Wendy was small and stooped, with a plain face, buck teeth and a slight speech impediment that rendered Rs as Ws. December 31, 2018. The juxtaposition of this diminutive figure with articulate and enlightening commentary on fine art never grew old. Dressed in black nun's habit, Sister Wendy stood in front of paintings, and without script or autocue discussed them to the camera. 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. Like Sister Wendy, I believe that art is for everyone. She was, by her own account, a frail girl. She returned to South Africa in 1954 to teach, but in 1970, with her health deteriorating, the Vatican gave permission for her to pursue a life of solitude and prayer. 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. Her attitude to Sister Wendy on Prayer, published in 2007, was ambivalent. Mobile Register and Baldwin County. 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. 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. 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. At lunchtime, her waiter sang to her on bended knee beside her chair. In 1988 her first book, Contemporary Women Artists, was published. Sister Wendy Beckett (1930 - 2018) was the unlikely star of art history documentary programs on the BBC. Following up in 1992, the BBC produced the six-part Sister Wendys Odyssey, with a wider focus on museums across England and Scotland. It was a slightly daunting task to contact her, but no less daunting was the tiny handwriting in which her contributions returned. To those who regarded her life as a hermit and a TV celebrity as self-contradictory, the response lay in her sense of obedience. My heart sinks when the word God is bandied around glibly., Wendy Mary Beckett, nun and art critic, born 25 February 1930; died 26 December 2018. You can find a full list of her works here. 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. When asked once what she felt about God, she replied, sharply: I dont think anyone can feel God. 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. Socialites give up their cab for her.. Her first book, Contemporary Women Artists, was published in 1988. Terms of Use See also The Art of Looking at Art, a Britannica sidebar written by Sister Wendy. 2. Although she hadnt appeared on television since the early 2000s, she was still a much-loved figure responsible for putting many people on the path of art appreciation. If you dont know about God, art is the only thing that can set you free, she explained. Heres what to know, From Chris Rock to the SAG Awards. Could you be called to shape the future of Mission and Ministry across the Diocese of Worcester? Visitation was held on Thursday, February 23rd 2023 at 11:00 AM at the . Her knowledge has passed down and is now ingrained in many people through her books and television programmes. 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. LONDON (AP) Sister Wendy Beckett, an art historian and critic who rose to prominence on TV late in life, has died. I hope that her books and videos will continue to inspire people to visit museums. 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. Asked how she managed to read so many crime novels, Beckett had a quick answer. 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. But her unorthodox spiritual insights suggested otherwise. If youre already a subscriber or donor, thank you! Ive no time for gardening and letter-writing, the usual let-outs for those who are alone.. Smith also drove her around the country to meet the artists when Beckett was writing her book about contemporary women artists. December 27, 2018. So, dont ever think that you cant enjoy and understand art if you dont have an art history degree. Schoolchildren ran to her side when they saw her crossing the county museums plaza. Sister Wendys Story of Painting was one of my first art books as a child. She was a sister of the Catholic Church who became prominent in the 1990s presenting BBC shows about art history. Dont think, fat little bloke, she said. Museum postcards and exhibition catalogs were her main research materials. The greatest reward I could have is to know that, despite my inadequacies, more and more people are coming to believe in their own powers of artistic appreciation., Sister Wendy Beckett, Sister Wendys Grand Tour, 12. However, she occasionally made television appearances, and Sister Wendy at the Norton Simon Museum, a TV movie commissioned by the Norton Simon Art Foundation, aired in 2002. And her pubic hair is so soft and fluffy., For the rest of her life she was asked to explain her views on sex. . The capacity to see, to open up the vision of reality that an artist offers, is innate in us all. She once observed: It is my apostolic duty to talk about art. Its a trivial little name. All rights reserved. if you are trying to comment, you must log in or set up a new account. Nicknamed the Art Nun, she offered eloquent and down-to-earth commentary that made art accessible to everyone. Please visit ourmembership pageto learn how you can invest in our work by subscribing to the magazine or making a donation. In the late 1990s, Sister Wendy Beckett visited the Los Angeles County Museum of Art for her series on U.S. museums. All he can do is lift up a flaccid finger, and out of the clouds whirls down the God of Power. I am prepared to marvel at their inexplicable enthusiasm.. Odyssey was the most successful BBC art program since Kenneth Clarks Civilisation, which aired in the United States 23 years earlier. In 1954 Sister Wendy completed her teaching diploma in Liverpool and returned to South . Eventually, she decided to publish an art book to earn money for the convent. She became Sister Wendy after Vatican reforms relaxed formalities. The BBC said it commissioned Beckett in 1991 to host a TV documentary on the National Gallery in London. Kalai, Leonidas. As a hermit, she did not feel the need to belong to any particular order. Viewers were astonished and delighted, especially by some of her uninhibited expressions of rapture. Her unique style drew close to 4 million viewers, mesmerized by her billowing black robes and unpretentious observations. 11 January 2019 min Read, Sister Wendy Beckett, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, Sept. 4, 1997. She spoke very comfortably and often highly of such works. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. But audiences were captivated by her richly human tales, which brought art to life. The Carmelites offered her a home on their property and took care of her for the rest of her life. December 26, 2018. To explore the Church Times website fully, please sign in or subscribe. The austerity and simplicity of this lifestyle was reflected when she was later briefly diverted into food writing for The Daily Telegraph in 1994: Make yourself a cup of tea and cut a nice slice of brown bread, she instructed. Returning to South Africa, she taught for 15 years at a Cape Town convent and later lectured at Johannesburgs University of Witwatersrand. I think Mother called me Wendy because she thought I would be small and pretty. She was 88.[34]. Sympathy Ideas . She lived here as a hermit, rising at midnight to pray, and giving seven hours each day to her devotions. Despite her old-fashioned garb, her views on Catholicism were anything but traditional. [12], Beckett was often effusively verbal in her descriptions of the human body in paintings, both male and female. 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. In 1997 Sister Wendys series debuted on public television in the United States. (Photo by Neville Elder/Corbis/Getty Images) Share Carmen Hermo Related Articles Want to Learn Art History? As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. 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. 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. 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. "[5], Beckett was born in the Union of South Africa, but was later raised in Edinburgh, Scotland where her father was studying medicine. A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials. She graduated from Oxford with high honors in English literature, and one of her original jobs in her monastery was translating Medieval Latin texts. Alexandra believes that enjoying the art of the past is the closest she can get to time travel, only much safer. 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. Read about our approach to external linking. | Submit an Obituary. The Daily Mail. Four years later Sister Wendys American Collection aired, profiling six notable American museums. At the British Museum, standing beside a Greek wine jar painted 2,500 years ago, she embroidered the portrayal of Achilles slaying Penthesilea, the Amazon queen, at the fall of Troy. [13], Beckett required medical treatment as an outpatient at a local hospital.[when?] And when she did begin studying it, she did so all on her own, through books. I was impressed by the depth of her knowledge, even of artists who are not well known, he said. Sister Wendys Book of Saints, published in 1998, was well received. Beckett is survived by her sister, Barbara. She dressed not as a Carmelite, but in a traditional black and white habit that she designed herself, merging features from several orders. The series followed a simple format: Sister Wendy stood next to an artwork and gave her reaction to the piece. Her first book, Contemporary Women Artists, was published in 1988. When she was a child, her family moved to Edinburgh, Scotland, where her father attended medical school before they returned to South Africa. Bending backward in her black habit in the Vaticans Sistine Chapel, gazing up through large eyeglasses at Michelangelos The Creation of Adam, Sister Wendy spoke with a storytellers wonder at the solemn, sensuous moment on the ceiling as two fingertips near the touch that begat the creation of life. The Carmelite Monastery of Quidenham said Beckett died at the . They might think a nun had church-y designs on them, she admitted. [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. 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.. 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. As Catholics enter into Lent, a season that we mark by acts of both repentance and service, it is worth considering how we might move from alarm at antisemitism to action. The routine she followed in the caravan was both simple and extraordinary. More series followed, including a ten-part documentary that saw Sister Wendy travel to visit artworks in 12 different countries. Pausing before the 16th century Italian painting Madonna and Child With Book, by Raphael, she zeroed in on the hefty baby Jesus. Please contact us at members@americamedia.org with any questions.