Sister Wendy Beckett Obituary

[appalachiablue]

Source: The Guardian

Nun and art critic who found fame in the 1990s with her popular TV programmes. 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. “If I had known how much time it would take, I would never have started it.”

But those who made series such as Sister Wendy’s Odyssey (1992) and Sister Wendy’s Story of Painting (1996) recall that, at the time, she seemed to be enjoying herself on and off camera. 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.

Yet, while the contradiction could irritate some devout Catholics – she was giving, they said, a misleading impression of religious life – it was, for most, a key part of her appeal and brought her programmes large audiences.

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. When asked once what the other Quidenham nuns thought about her going round the world with a camera crew, she replied, “they feel sorry for me”.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2018/dec/26/sister-wendy-beckett-obituary

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Sister Wendy liked to share knowledge and had originally joined a teaching order, the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. Her success derived from a powerful intellect and the ability to bridge the gulf between fine art and a popular audience; her insights into artists appealed to a wide range of people.

Sister Wendy's 'Story of Painting' program which first aired in the 1990s.

[dhol82]

1. I loved her talking about the 'naughty bits'

She was priceless!

[appalachiablue]

3. She was a real treasure who brought art & history to life for millions.

We desperately need more support for arts and humanities.

[dhol82]

5. +1

[CBHagman]

8. Hear, hear.

We desperately need more support for arts and humanities.

And tellingly, her programs were on PBS, which provides the arts for all without any expense beyond the means to view them. Opera, Broadway plays, dance, architecture, painting -- you experience them all on PBS.

[Loryn]

2. I'm sorry to hear this

I loved "The Story of Painting".

[appalachiablue]

4. An outstanding series, art historian Sister Wendy gave us so much.

[Pantagruel]

6. She was a treasure

R.I.P., Sister.

[Hekate]

7. She was a treasure, and my late mother really loved watching her programs...

RIP, Sister Wendy.

[CTyankee]

9. I loved Sister Wendy's show. She was wonderful!