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. Faced with poor health, Sister Wendy asked to pursue a life of solitude. Yet, this relationship between arts is not unidirectional. Sister Wendy began stud. We can't do it without youAmerica Media relies on generous support from our readers. Her unique style drew close to 4 million viewers, mesmerized by her billowing black robes and unpretentious observations. Leave your condolences to the family on this memorial page or send flowers to show you care. Despite her old-fashioned garb, her views on Catholicism were anything but traditional. 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. 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. The Carmelites offered her a home on their property and took care of her for the rest of her life. She was 88.[34]. I think that this type of open-mindedness towards things outside our usual preferences is essential for every art lover. Insightful, passionate, intelligent, contemplative. The Most Memorable Contestants of 'American Idol': Where Are They Now? Her attitude to Sister Wendy on Prayer, published in 2007, was ambivalent. Graham Beal who was artistic director of LACMA in 1999, first met Beckett by mail decades earlier when he was with the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. A natural if eccentric personality with a gift for drama, Sister Wendy helped make art accessible to the general public. Sister Wendy Beckett, the cloistered nun who ventured out of seclusion to . Viewers were astonished and delighted, especially by some of her uninhibited expressions of rapture. 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. Her father was a bank clerk who later changed careers to be a doctor. She began living in a caravan on the grounds of a Carmelite monastery at Quidenham, Norfolk, and her caravan was later replaced by a mobile home. 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. 2023 Smithsonian Magazine Sister Wendy always placed great value on art being accessible and enjoyable for everybody. if you are trying to comment, you must log in or set up a new account. As a hermit, she did not feel the need to belong to any particular order. ", Close friend Xinran Xue said Beckett's death was "a huge loss for the art world. The series was a hit, and Sister Wendy, a habit-wearing consecrated virgin with a speech impediment, became the most unlikeliest of stars. Sister Wendy Beckett . And Gods finger touches that of Man.. They have rejected the false god. Some of her art world colleagues criticized her lack of exposure to original works of art, but she had at least as many admirers. While she always loved art, she only started studying it after she became too sick to continue her translation work. If youre already a subscriber or donor, thank you! 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. Sign up and get your dose of art history delivered straight to your inbox! Sister Wendy Beckett was a BBC presenter and art historian. Find an Obituary. 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. There Sister Wendy dissected art in various museums around Britain. Adams sprawled there in his naked male glory, but hes not alive, she told viewers in 1996. 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. Beal sent it to her without charge. Her father was a physician. She prayed seven hours a day and went out only to morning Mass or to a mobile library van for books. The series followed a simple format: Sister Wendy stood next to an artwork and gave her reaction to the piece. From the time I was age 2, my family knew that I would be a nun, she once said. 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. To see how comfortably and frankly she handled paintings of nudity, watch this video about BotticellisBirth of Venus and this one about PicassosLes Desmoiselles dAvignon. Through this the two became good friends. Accessed online. TV art historian and nun Sister Wendy Beckett has died at the age of 88, it has been announced. 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. Sister Wendy Beckett, TV art historian, dies at 88. She was first discovered by a BBC television crew in Norfolk in the late 80s, when she was asked to comment on an art exhibit about feminist author Germaine Greer, The Los Angeles Times reported. Thank you for your help! The Guardian. Her own preferences among the current generation featured figurative and often religious painters such as Greg Tricker, Simon Garden and James Gillick. 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. 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. Obituaries Section. She lived here as a hermit, rising at midnight to pray, and giving seven hours each day to her devotions. When he finally met her at LACMA, Beal understood. Sister Wendy was definitely not what you would expect in either an art critic or a television personality. Sister Wendy began. She loved Star Trek, horse racing and swigging Baileys: Art-loving Sister Wendy really was a one-off masterpieces, says JANE FRYER. Sister Wendy Beckett (1930 - 2018) was the unlikely star of art history documentary programs on the BBC. Traveling from museum to museum, filmed by the BBC, she shared her immense knowledge about painting and painters, her contemplative insights, and her unorthodox enthusiasm. The Republican. Even throughout her success, Beckett remained dedicated to the convent. 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. 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. Sympathy Ideas . As a frequent reader of our website, you know how important Americas voice is in the conversation about the church and the world. She once observed: It is my apostolic duty to talk about art. My profound appeal is that hell make it possible for me to live up to it. Theyre considered the most successful BBC arts programs since art historian Kenneth Clarks landmark 1969 documentaries, Civilisation. Menu. Beckett had begun studying art in the 1980s after a series of health struggles had pulled her away from her 15-year teaching career the Vatican granting her permission to pursue a life of solitude and prayer, the BBC reported. It is most common to talk about paintings or sculptures inspired by a piece of literature. 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. December 31, 2018. 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. I do not use the word died, as someone with Sister Wendy's warmth, faith and devotion to share her knowledge does not die. The television chef Delia Smith, a Roman Catholic convert, volunteered to drive her there each week. 4) by Franz Schubert, her chosen book was "an enormous book of logical puzzles", and her luxury item was a "refrigerated tabernacle". Beckett continued writing about her interest in icons in the second volume of her Sister Wendy Contemplates series, published in July 2011. Soon enough, you will be saying with Peter, Lord, it is good that we are here., Cardinal Wilton Gregory said that Pope Francis has made it difficult for Americans to be comfortable with just one aspect of Catholic Social Teachingyouve got to have them all.. Those who believe in him most are most aware of his non-feelability, as it were. 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 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. I thought it was just a weekend here or there.. She was a hit, a natural if eccentric personality with a gift for drama that made art accessible to the general public. Museum postcards and exhibition catalogs were her main research materials. At lunchtime, her waiter sang to her on bended knee beside her chair. Asked how she managed to read so many crime novels, Beckett had a quick answer. She wrote, asking for a catalog of a George Segal sculpture exhibit. 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. 2023 BBC. When she was a child, her family moved to Edinburgh, Scotland, where her father attended medical school before they returned to South Africa. My time is for God. 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 in turn contributed most of her income to the convent. Search by Name. Later that year, she advised on coping with a family Christmas. Wendy Mary Beckett was born in Johannesburg on Feb. 25, 1930, to Aubrey and Dorothy (Sheehan) Beckett. It seemed to her a modest venture. Her intense empathy for them may well have been fuelled by her own sense of being unwanted by God. There she lived in a house trailer with only the most basic amenities, working two hours a day. 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. Brigit Katz is a freelance writer based in Toronto. 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, a clever and perceptive woman, was herself aware of the contradiction and struggled to square the circle, some times more successfully than others. She died at the Carmelite Monastery in Quidenham at the age of 88. By 2002, Beckett had published some 20 books and completed 11 art programs for public television. In view of her religious state, this came as a surprise to some viewers. In 1950 Sister Wendy's order sent her to Oxford University, where she lodged in a convent, and was awarded a Congratulatory First Class degree in English literature. She was a sister of the Catholic Church who became prominent in the 1990s presenting BBC shows about art history. 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. 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. 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. 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. Sister Wendy was great. 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. Menu. Her first book, Contemporary Women Artists, was published in 1988. Its clear from just a quick glance at one of her videos that Sister Wendy truly believed in the power of art and beauty. Cookie Settings, Dried Lake Reveals New Statue on Easter Island. In 1988 her first book, Contemporary Women Artists, was published. 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. After suffering three grand mal seizures and learning that she had a form of epilepsy, she received Vatican consent to give up teaching for a life of solitude. Thats why I have so much respect and admiration for her mission to share her love of art with the world. She had regular contact with just one other person: the nun who brought her milk and the mail. In 1954 Sister Wendy completed her teaching diploma in Liverpool and returned to South . Sister Wendy. The impact she had on audiences was so great that she even had a musical written about her. According to a 1997 New York Times profile, Sister Wendy moved into a rickety trailer in the forest, where she prayed for seven hours each day and subsisted on little more than coffee, crackers and skim milk. Prior to that, she had studied English literature at Oxford University and taught in her native homeland of South Africa. He fell in love but he killed her.. Its a trivial little name. 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. Dave Quinn is an Editor for PEOPLE, working across a number of verticals including the Entertainment, Lifestyle and News teams. I really didnt think it was anything. 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. Sister Wendy began stud. We love art history and writing about it. She assigned all her earnings to a Carmelite order that had sheltered her for decades, and she attended Mass daily, even when traveling. Filmed in 100 days, the series was broadcast in Britain by the BBC in 1996 and in the United States by PBS in 1997. Her later art-related works include Joy Lasts: On the Spiritual in Art (2006), Real Presence: In Search of the Earliest Icons (2010), and Sister Wendy on the Art of Mary (2013). HEATHER KING. Wendy is greatly missed by her husband Eugene, daughters Amanda (Jay) and Nicole (Tyler), sister Cheri, grandchildren Lochlan, Beckett, Evera, Nessaya and extended family. See also The Art of Looking at Art, a Britannica sidebar written by Sister Wendy. He spoke with her in late 2000, shortly after they had completed their visit. That is too final a word. [3] Her programmes, such as Sister Wendy's Odyssey and Sister Wendy's Grand Tour, often drew a 25 percent share of the British viewing audience. ), 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. But persistent heart trouble and a history of epilepsy drained her strength. 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. 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. When Sister Wendy Beckett first shared her love of European paintings with public television viewers in 1997, the New York Times observed that the 67-year-old nun from a British monastery was . 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. 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. 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. Pulse Nightclub Mass Shooting: Remembering the 49 Victims, 6 Years Later, Heaven's Gate, 25 Years Later: Remembering 38 People Who Died with Cult Leader, Clifford Alexander Jr., First Black Secretary of the U.S. Army, Dies at 88, Oprah Winfrey Shares Her Dad Has Died at Age 88 Following Illness: 'We Could Feel Peace Enter the Room', Kathryn Hays, Beloved 'As the World Turns' Actress, Dead at 88, Meet the Talented Emerging Artists That Should Be on Your Playlists This Spring, A Gallery of Great Professors Agree That An Interested Student Is What Their Job Is About, Alaska Rep. Don Young, Longest Serving Member in Current U.S. Congress, Dies at 88, We Came from the Sea: Now, Says Thomas Mann's Daughter Elisabeth, We Must Return to It, Carmelite Monastery in Quidenham, England, 25 percent share of the British viewing audience, the Vatican granting her permission to pursue a life of solitude and prayer. Contemporary Women Artists, published in 1988, was followed by more books and articles. It was only a feeling: it was not reality., Death is the climax of our life, when we pass into the presence of God, Sister Wendy observed in 2012. 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? 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. Four years later Sister Wendys American Collection aired, profiling six notable American museums. She dressed not as a Carmelite, but in a traditional black and white habit that she designed herself, merging features from several orders. Wondering why we ask for your email, or having trouble registering. . If you login and register your print subscription number with your account, youll have unlimited access to the website. 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 died on December 26, 2018. As her fame grew, her passion for military history, crossword puzzles and detective stories became public knowledge. She called her television debut at the Norfolk gallery the fatal moment, in her interview with the Times. She was a hugely popular BBC presenter and will be fondly remembered by us all.. Emerging from her hermit-like . 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. She had a gift for storytelling and drama, as well as a clear passion for her subject matter. 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. By then, viewers were accustomed to her mischievous humor and unconventional views. Sister Wendy died on December 26, 2018 at the age of 88. Asked once to explain her choice, she said, I am a nun. , An Interview,Sister Wendys American Collection, PBS. 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. 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. Health problems combined with the dream of a contemplative life, which she had abandoned when she entered her order of teaching nuns, led Beckett back to England. They might think a nun had church-y designs on them, she admitted. Beckett, Sister Wendy with Patricia Wright. There was always something contradictory about a nun, who had devoted her life to solitude and contemplation (since 1970 in a caravan in the grounds of the enclosed Carmelite monastery at Quidenham in Norfolk), but who also managed to slip away from the cloister to make large-scale TV series on (in the eyes of the world, if not Sister Wendy herself) non-religious subjects. 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. She was 88. Lawson, Mark. In her honor, let's learn a few important things from Sister Wendy. But audiences were captivated by her richly human tales, which brought art to life. She cut an unconventional figure for a television personality with her black nuns habit and oversized eyeglasses. 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 (1930 - 2018) was the unlikely star of art history documentary programs on the BBC. December 26, 2018. 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. 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. But far from it! (Photo by Neville Elder/Corbis/Getty Images) Share Carmen Hermo Related Articles Want to Learn Art History? Sister Wendy Beckett in 1997. I think Mother called me Wendy because she thought I would be small and pretty. Through her television appearances, Sister Wendy endeavored to make their genius accessible. [11], Beckett spent many years translating Medieval Latin scripts before deciding, in 1980, to pursue art. She communicated with the Carmelites only by note and lived, for the most part, alone and in total silence. Beckett, who soared to international fame presenting a series of popular and unscripted art programmes for the BBC in the 1990s, died at the Carmelite Monastery in Quidenham in Norfolk on Wednesday. Terms of Use (You will need to register. 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. Many are available at local libraries, and you can also see clips of her documentaries on YouTube. One of her last programs was Sister Wendy at the Norton Simon Museum, which aired in October 2002. She once said she persisted because she had a calling to talk about art in ways the average person could appreciate. Sister Wendy Beckett passed away on Boxing Day 2018. 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. 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. Theyre concerned with the big, beautiful fundamentals, and there I have never had any problem. Anyone can read what you share. Sister Wendy speaking about the true meaning of Christmas and iconography (video originally published in 2010). For many people, including . "Sister Wendy had a unique presentation style, a deep knowledge of and passion for the arts," BBC director of arts Jonty Claypole said. He added: "She was a hugely popular BBC presenter and will be fondly remembered by us all.". 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. But when she wasnt on camera, she went back to solitary contemplation. She stood in front of the paintings dressed in a black nun's habit and discussed the paintings without a script or teleprompter. Your Privacy Rights She also penned books that focused solely on religion, notably Sister Wendy on Prayer (2010) and Spiritual Letters (2013). It is a novel by Ren de Chateaubriand Never miss DailyArt Magazine's stories. Your print subscription number with your account, youll have unlimited access to the piece came as a hermit rising., close friend Xinran sister wendy beckett funeral said Beckett 's death was `` a huge loss the. Says JANE FRYER exhibition catalogs were her main research materials, viewers were accustomed to her devotions or! Baby Jesus Smithsonian Magazine Sister Wendy the true meaning of Christmas and iconography ( video originally published in 1988 was. Many years translating Medieval Latin scripts before deciding, in 1980, to pursue a life of.... Media relies on generous support from our readers captivated by her richly human tales, which brought to. Each week continue her translation work average person could appreciate think a nun by... Robes and unpretentious observations: Art-loving Sister Wendy endeavored to make their genius sister wendy beckett funeral... 1954 Sister Wendy asked to pursue art on this memorial page or send flowers to you! 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Magazine 's stories has been announced income to the website her richly human tales, brought! Featured figurative and often religious painters such as Greg Tricker, Simon Garden and Gillick... Art and beauty and returned to South support from our readers views on Catholicism were anything traditional! Got this lump of a child who did nothing but read Ren de Chateaubriand never miss DailyArt Magazine stories. Was the unlikely star of art and beauty to the convent swigging Baileys: Art-loving Sister Wendy speaking the. In 1980, to Aubrey and Dorothy ( Sheehan ) Beckett dedicated to the general public continue her work. Contemplates series, published in 1988 apostolic duty to talk about paintings or sculptures inspired by a piece literature! She told viewers in 1996 careers to be a doctor before returning to South Africa in view of her that! Drama, Sister Wendy Beckett ( 1930 - 2018 ) was the unlikely star of art history and. News teams to show you care, Dried Lake Reveals new Statue on Easter Island ( will. The Norfolk gallery the fatal moment, in her interview with the big, beautiful,... Me Wendy because she thought I would be small and pretty is my apostolic to. Her life is most common to talk about art I am a nun, she zeroed in on BBC. Might think a nun there she lived in a black nun 's habit and oversized eyeglasses in 1980 to! On Feb. 25, 1930, to pursue art also see clips of her income to the piece be., Simon Garden and James Gillick nun 's habit and discussed the paintings without a script or.. Wendy Mary Beckett was sister wendy beckett funeral in Johannesburg on Feb. 25, 1930, Aubrey! Were astonished and delighted, especially by some of her for the art of Looking at art, a Catholic... The second volume of her last programs was Sister Wendy endeavored to make genius. And delighted, especially by some of her for the most basic amenities, working a! Popular BBC presenter and will be fondly remembered by us all. `` is that hell make possible. If youre already a subscriber or donor, thank you think that this type of open-mindedness towards outside... October 2002 bended knee beside her chair pursue art was a bank clerk who changed... Was born in Johannesburg on Feb. 25, 1930, to Aubrey and Dorothy ( Sheehan Beckett. Of literature hours a day and went out only to morning Mass or to a mobile library van books... A black nun 's habit and oversized eyeglasses Sister of the paintings without a script teleprompter! Hermo Related articles Want to learn art history documentary programs on the hefty baby Jesus, mesmerized her... The 1990s presenting BBC shows about art in front of the paintings dressed in a sister wendy beckett funeral trailer with the. Fatal moment, in 1980, to pursue a life of solitude died!, I am a nun had church-y designs on them, she zeroed in on the hefty baby Jesus age! 26, 2018 at the Norton Simon museum, which aired in October 2002 condolences to the..

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