Submit an Obituary . A surprising rise to fame catapulted her into television stardom, where she used her platform to share artistic masterpieces with the public. We love art history and writing about it. In 1991 the BBC commissioned her to present a television documentary on the National Gallery in London. You can find a full list of her works here. Sister Wendy. Sister Wendy Beckett (1930 - 2018) was the unlikely star of art history documentary programs on the BBC. To those who regarded her life as a hermit and a TV celebrity as self-contradictory, the response lay in her sense of obedience. At funeral, pope remembers Benedict's 'wisdom, tenderness, devotion' by . The series followed a simple format: Sister Wendy stood next to an artwork and gave her reaction to the piece. She was received by the local bishop as a consecrated virgin, an ancient ceremony, revived in Catholicism in the 1970s, in which she pledged her perpetual virginity and was betrothed mystically to Christ. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. 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. She was a brilliant art critic.". This article was amended on 31 December 2018. 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. If you dont know about God, art is the only thing that can set you free, she explained. 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. 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.. 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. Why am I being asked to create an account? Sister Wendy Beckett passed away on Boxing Day 2018. Sister Wendy Beckett Obituary. 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. 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. 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. One of her last programs was Sister Wendy at the Norton Simon Museum, which aired in October 2002. 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. By 1997, as she marked 50 years as a nun, the Oxford-educated Sister Wendy had made three television series, the most successful BBC arts programs since Civilisation, the art historian Kenneth Clarks landmark 1969 documentaries. Los Angeles, Stranger Things play that may hold key to the end taking 1959 Hawkins to West End, Commentary: Now hiring! A visitor to the Carmel, the cook and devout Catholic Delia Smith, was so impressed by Sister Wendys writing that in the late 80s she persuaded the Catholic Herald newspaper to publish them as a weekly series. I loved listening to her talk about art. 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. Sister Wendy speaking about the true meaning of Christmas and iconography (video originally published in 2010). 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. Sister Wendy Beckett and Robert Ellsberg in 2017. In 1946, she entered the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, a Roman Catholic congregation of religious sisters dedicated to education. [33], Beckett died on 26 December 2018 at the Carmelite Monastery in Quidenham, Norfolk. (Jay) and Nicole (Tyler); her sister Cheri; and her grandchildren, Lochlan, Beckett, Evera and Nessaya. A scene inside the Vatican from Sister Wendys Story of Painting, one of her many BBC series. 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. 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. God is such a total mystery. In the early 1970s, she was released from her vows as a Sister of Notre Dame and changed her religious status to consecrated virgin, with the blessing of the Vatican. Her unique style drew close to 4 million viewers, mesmerized by her billowing black robes and unpretentious observations. Updates? 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. Could you be called to shape the future of Mission and Ministry across the Diocese of Worcester? Anyone can read what you share. She never liked her Catholic parents choice of name. She once said she persisted because she had a calling to talk about art in ways the average person could appreciate. 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. 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. 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. 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. It challenges the human spirit to accept a deeper reality.. Sister Wendy. A natural if eccentric personality with a gift for drama, Sister Wendy helped make art accessible to the general public. 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. I was impressed by the depth of her knowledge, even of artists who are not well known, he said. As a hermit, she did not feel the need to belong to any particular order. She cut an unconventional figure for a television personality with her black nuns habit and oversized eyeglasses. Visitation was held on Thursday, February 23rd 2023 at 11:00 AM at the . From an early age she intended to become a nun, and at 16 she joined the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, a teaching order, as Sister Michael of St. Peter. Wendy is greatly missed by her husband Eugene, daughters Amanda (Jay) and Nicole (Tyler), sister Cheri, grandchildren Lochlan, Beckett, Evera, Nessaya and extended family. 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). But persistent heart trouble and a history of epilepsy drained her strength. [11], Beckett spent many years translating Medieval Latin scripts before deciding, in 1980, to pursue art. Sister Wendy Beckett, the cloistered nun who ventured out of seclusion to . She died at the Carmelite Monastery in Quidenham at the age of 88. 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. The nun passed away on Boxing Day 2018 at the age of 88 - here's everything you need to know about her. Odyssey was the most successful BBC art program since Kenneth Clarks Civilisation, which aired in the United States 23 years earlier. Its clear from just a quick glance at one of her videos that Sister Wendy truly believed in the power of art and beauty. 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. Her steel could also be glimpsed in relation to what she insisted was her own very minor celebrity. She wrote, asking for a catalog of a George Segal sculpture exhibit. To explore the Church Times website fully, please sign in or subscribe. See also The Art of Looking at Art, a Britannica sidebar written by Sister Wendy. "Bespectacled, bewimpled and with a decided lisp, the 67-year-old woman makes . Climb the mountain. It was a magical moment of television, too. Sister Wendy, a clever and perceptive woman, was herself aware of the contradiction and struggled to square the circle, some times more successfully than others. She communicated with the Carmelites only by note and lived, for the most part, alone and in total silence. Many are available at local libraries, and you can also see clips of her documentaries on YouTube. She preferred the quiet monastic life but felt that introducing people to art was a calling too strong to ignore. The juxtaposition of this diminutive figure with articulate and enlightening commentary on fine art never grew old. In 1954 Sister Wendy completed her teaching diploma in Liverpool and returned to South . She was 88. 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. The series was a hit, and Sister Wendy, a habit-wearing consecrated virgin with a speech impediment, became the most unlikeliest of stars. In view of her religious state, this came as a surprise to some viewers. Sister Wendy was well educated, but not in art history. The television chef Delia Smith, a Roman Catholic convert, volunteered to drive her there each week. By then, viewers were accustomed to her mischievous humor and unconventional views. 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. McFadden, Robert D. Sister Wendy Beckett, Nun Who Became a BBC Star, Dies at 88. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sister-Wendy-Beckett, PBS Online - Sister Wendy's American Collection. 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. ), London conservatives look for support from breakaway Anglicans, Six cathedrals to join programme that promotes singing opportunitiesat state schools, Putins attack on C of E is simply wrong, spokesman says, Secretary-general apologises for rainbow-flag hack on Synod livestream, Crosier missing for six decades discovered on internet auction site, Fourteen bishops publish a defence of traditional marriage, General Synod: same-sex debate goes into overtime, Archbishop of Canterbury no longer our leader after Synod vote, say GSFA Primates, Bishops proposals to bless same-sex couples carried by Synod, despite sustained opposition, Why I have not lost my faith in the C of E. Sister Wendy Beckett, a Roman Catholic nun who interrupted a cloistered life of prayer in England in 1991 and soared to international stardom with lyrical BBC documentaries that made her one of. Visit her at A Scholarly Skater and The Art Museum Insider. 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. Three Jesuit astronomers and the 16th-century pope who commissioned the Gregorian calendar have recently been honored with having asteroids named after them. It was inevitable that the Church Times should seek to publish extracts from her books, and even invite her to contribute. As a frequent reader of our website, you know how important Americas voice is in the conversation about the church and the world. people, women and others in the Catholic Church, Motherhood is not a hobby: A Catholic mom responds to comedian Chelsea Handler, Pope Benedict XVI on the relationship between Christianity and politics, Pope Francis says Vatican II was a visit of God to his church in new interview, Vice Provost for Continuing, Professional and Executive Education Stony Brook University, Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology, Bergoglio Lecture Series at Sacred Heart University, Contemplation can be scarybut its worth the risk, Cardinal Gregory: Pope Francis makes Americans in both parties uncomfortable, For Catholics, Lent 2023 is a time to act against antisemitism, New asteroids named for 3 Jesuits and pope of Gregorian calendar fame. At 16, she entered the Sisters of Notre Dame in England and began religious life as Sister Michael. Think young sumo wrestler.. 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. She was a brilliant art critic. At lunchtime, her waiter sang to her on bended knee beside her chair. She was, the Church Times TV critic at that time, David Johnson, observed, an unself-conscious natural for television. Sister Wendy Beckett (1930-2018) was probably the world's most unconventional art historian. Angry protests erupt over Greek rail disaster, Messages reveal battle over UK Covid policy, Isabel Oakeshott: Why I leaked minister's messages. Wondering why we ask for your email, or having trouble registering. 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. Please visit ourmembership pageto learn how you can invest in our work by subscribing to the magazine or making a donation. Dave Quinn is an Editor for PEOPLE, working across a number of verticals including the Entertainment, Lifestyle and News teams. She was 88. [12], Beckett was often effusively verbal in her descriptions of the human body in paintings, both male and female. She was an effective and knowledgeable presenter, and people enjoyed her quirky style and insights. More series followed, including a ten-part documentary that saw Sister Wendy travel to visit artworks in 12 different countries. 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. She died at the Carmelite Monastery in Quidenham at the age of 88. [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). if you are trying to comment, you must log in or set up a new account. Shame on you, Degas, she scolded the French Impressionist for portraying women in gawky poses. BBC. Carmen Hermo, January 8, 2019 British nun and art critic, Sister Wendy Beckett. Museum postcards and exhibition catalogs were her main research materials. Her work included a series of well received documentaries including "Sister Wendy's Odyssey" and "Sister Wendy's Grand Tour.". As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Asked how she managed to read so many crime novels, Beckett had a quick answer. Then go back to the festivities and give him to others.. Sister Wendy Beckett (1930 - 2018) was the unlikely star of art history documentary programs on the BBC. Sister Wendy Beckett, the cloistered nun who ventured out of seclusion to become a celebrity art critic and historian, died Wednesday at Englands Carmelite Monastery Quidenham in Norfolk, according to the BBC. She once observed: It is my apostolic duty to talk about art. Sprinkle some salt on the dish, and, if you want to be really fancy, some chopped chives. No one would dare write a book about how a husband and wife are to talk to each other, she commented in an interview (Features, 17 October 2007). Postcards from God was created by Marcus Reeves, not the originators of Jerry Springer: The Musical as stated in an earlier version. Sister Wendy Beckett was a BBC presenter and art historian. The saints are the people, weak and imperfect like ourselves, who said a total Yes to Gods love. He spoke with her in late 2000, shortly after they had completed their visit. Mobile Register and Baldwin County Homepage. In the late 1990s, Sister Wendy Beckett visited the Los Angeles County Museum of Art for her series on U.S. museums. Church Times 2023. Your source for jobs, books, retreats, and much more. (Photo by Neville Elder/Corbis/Getty Images) Share Carmen Hermo Related Articles Want to Learn Art History? Beckett, Sister Wendy with Patricia Wright. In 1991, after 45 years of the cloistered life, Sister Wendy Beckett stepped out of the convent and into London's National Gallery. Later that year, she advised on coping with a family Christmas. PBS / WGBH Educational Foundation, 2001. She died at the Carmelite Monastery in Quidenham at the age of 88. Please contact us at members@americamedia.org with any questions. Be still; let the wonder become real to you; accept the child as Lord; and thank him for such inconceivable love. She was born Wendy Beckett, in East London, South Africa, one of two children. Unconventional art historian I being asked to create an account art, Roman. 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