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Sister Wendy Beckett 1930 - 2018

Wendy Mary Beckett was born on February 25, 1930 in South Africa, and had a brother Wendell Beckett. Wendy Beckett died at age 88 years old on December 26, 2018 in Quidenham, England United Kingdom, and was buried on December 14, 2018 at Carmelite Cemetery Carmelite Monastery Cemetery, in Quidenham Breckland Borough, Norfolk County. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Sister Wendy Beckett.

Wendy Mary Beckett

February 25, 1930

South Africa

December 26, 2018

Quidenham, England, NR16 2PJ, United Kingdom

Female

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Sister Wendy Beckett Wendy Beckett (1930 - 2018)

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Wendy Mary Beckett's History: 1930 - 2018

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Introduction

Wendy Mary Beckett, also known as Sister Wendy, was a British nun, art historian, and television presenter. Born on February 25, 1930, in Johannesburg, South Africa, she was best known for her insightful and accessible commentary on the visual arts, which made her a beloved and respected figure in the world of art and culture. She became well known internationally during the 1990s when she presented a series of BBC television documentaries on the history of art.
02/25

1930

Birthday

February 25, 1930

Birthdate

South Africa

Birthplace

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Ethnicity & Family History

Her parents were Dorothy Beckett and Aubrey Beckett. She had a brother Wendell Beckett. Wendy Mary Beckett's family history is rooted in England, where her ancestors had lived for generations. Her mother was a Scottish nurse, and her father was a British medical doctor who worked in South Africa. Wendy was raised in Edinburgh, Scotland, but her family moved frequently due to her father's job. Wendy Mary Beckett's ethnicity is White British, with Scottish ancestry from her mother's side. Despite her family's frequent moves, Wendy maintained close ties with her relatives, and her upbringing instilled in her a love of learning and intellectual curiosity that would shape her later life.
Nationality & Locations

Wendy Mary Beckett's family moved frequently during her childhood, due to her father's job as a medical doctor. She was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, and her family later moved to Edinburgh, Scotland, where she spent much of her childhood. After completing her education, Wendy joined the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, a Catholic religious congregation, and lived in a convent in South Africa for a time. She then moved to England and lived in various convents throughout the country, including in Oxford and Liverpool. Later in life, Wendy spent time in Rome, Italy, where she studied art history and fell in love with the country's rich cultural heritage. She eventually returned to England, where she continued to live in various religious communities until her death in 2018. Throughout her life, Wendy's travels and experiences in different locations shaped her worldview and contributed to her broad knowledge and understanding of art and culture.
Early Life & Education

Wendy Mary Beckett received her early education in Edinburgh, Scotland, where her family lived for a time. After moving to South Africa with her family, she attended a boarding school run by the Dominican sisters. After completing her schooling, Wendy studied English literature at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. However, she did not complete her degree, as she had a calling to join the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, a Catholic religious congregation. Wendy's education continued after she joined the religious order. She studied theology and philosophy at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. Later, while living in England, she studied art history at Oxford University and earned a bachelor's degree in the subject. Wendy's education was broad and diverse, reflecting her wide-ranging interests and intellectual curiosity. Her studies in literature, theology, philosophy, and art history all contributed to her unique perspective on the world and her ability to connect with people from all walks of life.
Religious Beliefs

Wendy Mary Beckett was a devout Roman Catholic and spent most of her life as a member of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, a Catholic religious congregation. Her faith played a significant role in shaping her worldview and informing her work as an art historian and television presenter. As a nun, Wendy lived a life of prayer, contemplation, and service to others. She was known for her humility, simplicity, and devotion to God. She often spoke about the importance of finding beauty and meaning in the world around us and encouraged others to look for spiritual connections in art and culture. Wendy's faith was not limited to the confines of the church, however. She believed that art was a way to connect with the divine and that the beauty of art had the power to uplift and inspire people of all backgrounds and beliefs. Her work as an art historian and television presenter reflected her belief that art was a powerful means of expressing the human experience and connecting people to something greater than themselves.
Military Service

Wendy Beckett did not have any military involvement.
Professional Career

Wendy Mary Beckett had a diverse career that spanned several decades and multiple professions. After completing her studies in English literature at the University of Cape Town, she joined the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, a Catholic religious congregation, and spent many years in various religious communities throughout South Africa, England, and Rome. Later in life, Wendy became an art historian and television presenter. She wrote several books on art history, including "Contemporary Women Artists" and "The Mystical Now: Art and the Sacred." She also presented several television programs, including the BBC documentary series "Sister Wendy's Odyssey" and "Sister Wendy's Grand Tour." Wendy was known for her insightful and accessible commentary on the visual arts, which made her a beloved and respected figure in the world of art and culture. She was able to bridge the gap between high art and popular culture, connecting with audiences from all backgrounds and levels of art appreciation.
Personal Life & Family

Wendy Mary Beckett lived a largely private and contemplative life, both before and after she became an art historian and television presenter. As a member of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, she took a vow of poverty, chastity, and obedience, and dedicated herself to a life of prayer, study, and service to others. Despite her vow of chastity, Wendy did have a romantic relationship before she joined the religious order. She met a young man while studying at the University of Cape Town, but their relationship ended when she decided to become a nun. Wendy later said that the experience taught her a lot about love, sacrifice, and the importance of making difficult choices in life. Wendy lived a simple and austere life, even after she became a television personality and published author. She continued to live in a small caravan on the grounds of a Carmelite monastery in Norfolk, England, and spent much of her time in prayer and contemplation. Wendy was diagnosed with breast cancer in the early 1990s, but she continued to work and travel despite her illness. She underwent a mastectomy and several rounds of chemotherapy, but her cancer eventually spread to her bones. She died in 2018 at the age of 88. Despite her illness, Wendy remained optimistic and continued to find joy and beauty in the world around her until the end of her life.
12/26

2018

Death

December 26, 2018

Death date

Breast Cancer

Cause of death

Quidenham, England NR16 2PJ, United Kingdom
Death location

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12/14

2018

Gravesite & Burial

December 14, 2018

Funeral date
Carmelite Cemetery Carmelite Monastery Cemetery, in Quidenham Breckland Borough, Norfolk County, England NR16 2PH, United Kingdom
Burial location
Obituary

Sister Wendy Beckett, Nun Who Became a BBC Star, Dies at 88 Sister Wendy Beckett in 1997. She soared to international stardom with her BBC documentaries on the history of art. By Robert D. McFadden Dec. 26, 2018 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 the most improbable art critics in television history, died on Wednesday in the village of East Harling, England. She was 88. 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. Bending backward in her black habit in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel, gazing up through large eyeglasses at Michelangelo’s “The Creation of Adam,” Sister Wendy spoke with a storyteller’s wonder at the solemn, sensuous moment on the ceiling as two fingertips near the touch that begat the creation of life. “Adam’s sprawled there in his naked male glory, but he’s not alive,” she told viewers in 1996. “All he can do is lift up a flaccid finger, and out of the clouds whirls down the God of Power. In his great flying cloak, there’s a world. Whether that’s Eve or not, there’s a human face there looking straight at Adam with the eyes daring him to respond to the challenge. And God’s finger touches that of Man.” It was a magical moment of television, too. Sister Wendy was small and stooped, with a plain face, buck teeth, and a slight speech impediment that rendered R’s as W’s. 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. 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 Clark’s landmark 1969 documentaries. 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. Did you know you can share 10 gift articles a month, even with nonsubscribers? Share this article. She had acquired all the star trappings but a wardrobe adviser — a publicist, an agent to negotiate fees and contracts, promotional interviews with Charlie Rose and Bill Moyers, and visits with dignitaries like Prime Minister John Major at 10 Downing Street and Pope John Paul II, who commended her for broadcasting a positive image of the church. For all her success, she remained a nun with commitments to prayer, solitude (when possible), and vows of poverty. She assigned all her earnings to a Carmelite order that had sheltered her for decades, and she attended Mass daily, even when traveling. 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. She prayed for seven hours a day and went out only to morning Mass or to a mobile library van for books. 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. Still, she was spellbound by art: She read about it voraciously and began writing about it. Her first book, “Contemporary Women Artists,” was published in 1988. In 1991, a BBC producer, Nicholas Rossiter, persuaded her to do a stand-up documentary about Britain’s National Gallery, talking about its paintings. It seemed to her a modest venture. “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). “I really didn’t think it was anything. 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. Following up in 1992, the BBC produced the six-part “Sister Wendy’s Odyssey,” with a wider focus on museums across England and Scotland. It drew 3.5 million viewers, and it secured her stardom. A scene inside the Vatican from one of her many BBC series. A natural if eccentric personality with a gift for drama, Sister Wendy helped make art accessible to the general public. A scene inside the Vatican from “Sister Wendy’s Story of Painting,” one of her many BBC series. A natural if eccentric personality with a gift for drama, Sister Wendy helped make art accessible to the general public. She was ambivalent about celebrity. She liked “wonderful sweet people” who thanked her for helping them understand paintings, she told The New York Times in 1997. But, she added: “Nothing is more humiliating than being on television. You make such a fool of yourself.” Some art critics agreed, calling her amateurish. But audiences were captivated by her richly human tales, which brought art to life. 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. “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. He fell in love — but he killed her.” For a 10-part 1994 BBC series, “Sister Wendy’s Grand Tour,” she crossed Europe and for the first time swooned over Matisse and Cézanne at the Louvre in Paris, Michelangelo’s Pietà in Rome, the canvases of Rembrandt and van Gogh in Amsterdam, and the art treasures of Madrid, Florence, Venice, and Berlin. Her most ambitious series, “Sister Wendy’s Story of Painting,” took her 30,000 miles through Europe, the Middle East, and the United States, to survey works ranging from prehistoric cave paintings in France to the masterpieces of Picasso and the Pop Art of Andy Warhol. Filmed in 100 days, the series was broadcast in Britain by the BBC in 1996 and in the United States by PBS in 1997. Viewers were astonished and delighted, especially by some of her uninhibited expressions of rapture. 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. 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 Wendy’s charm and success.” Wendy Mary Beckett was born in Johannesburg on Feb. 25, 1930, to Aubrey and Dorothy (Sheehan) Beckett. Her father was a physician. She is survived by a brother, Wendell. 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. She became Sister Wendy after Vatican reforms relaxed formalities. She studied literature at Oxford in the early 1950s, living in a convent and observing its strict code of silence for four years. She graduated at the top of her class. Returning to South Africa, she taught for 15 years at a Cape Town convent and later lectured at Johannesburg’s University of Witwatersrand. After suffering three grand mal seizures and learning that she had a form of epilepsy, she received Vatican consent to giving up teaching for a life of solitude. In 1970, she returned to England and moved into the trailer at the Carmelite Monastery. “I really didn’t think it was anything,” Sister Wendy recalled of her decision to talk about art on television in her book “Sister Wendy on Prayer” (2006). “I thought it was just a weekend here or there.” Sister Wendy eventually wrote some 25 books, including collections of poetry and meditations, and made a dozen documentaries, many released on DVD. She always returned to the austere seclusion that was her home for nearly a half-century, although her trailer was upgraded in 1994. “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. “I have an electric kettle, fridge, warming oven, and night storage heater, so my life is as comfortable as it needs to be.” Palko Karasz contributed reporting from London.

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Sister Wendy Beckett lived 15 years longer than the average family member when died at the age of 88.

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