Wendy Beckett
Encyclopedia
Sister Wendy Beckett is a South African-born British art expert, consecrated virgin
and contemplative hermit
who became a celebrity during the 1990s, presenting a series of acclaimed art history documentaries for the BBC
.
and raised in Edinburgh
, Scotland
, where her father studied medicine. In 1946, she entered the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur
, a religious congregation in the Latin
branch of the Catholic Church. She was sent to England
where she completed her novitiate
and then studied at St Anne's College, Oxford University
, where she was awarded a first class (with distinction) degree in English literature
. Outside her academic work, she lived in a convent
that maintained the strict code of silence which was typical in convents prior to the reforms ushered in following the Second Vatican Council
(1962-1965).
After attending a teacher training college 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
. 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
. In 1970, health problems forced her to abandon teaching and return to England.
At that point, she obtained papal permission to leave her congregation and to become a consecrated virgin
. Sister Wendy's former congregation then arranged for her to live under the protection of the Carmelite nun
s at their monastery at Quidenham
, Norfolk
, in the east of England. There she leads a contemplative lifestyle, and lives in a caravan
on the grounds. Besides receiving the Carmelite prioress and a nun who brings her provisions, she dedicates her life solely to monastic solitude
and prayer
, but allows herself two hours of work per day. She spent many years translating Medieval Latin
scripts before deciding, in 1980, to pursue art, her favourite subject.
Sister Wendy Contemplates Saint Paul in Art was published in 2008 to celebrate the Year of Saint Paul. In May, 2009 Encounters with God: In Quest of the Ancient Icons of Mary was published, which follows Sister Wendy's pilgrimage to see the earliest icons of Mary that had survived the Byzantine iconoclasm.
Sister Wendy continued writing about her interest in icon
s in the second volume of her "Sister Wendy Contemplates..." series, published in July 2011. This book, entitled "The Iconic Jesus", takes the reader through scenes from the New Testament
, accompanied by Sister Wendy's reflections. Her next book, also published in 2011, "The Christ Journey", consists of her commentaries on the artwork of Greg Tricker. All books were published by St. Paul's Publishing, London.
When she required treating as a outpatient at a local hospital, the television chef Delia Smith
volunteered, through a mutual friend, to drive her there each week. When Sister Wendy was writing her book about contemporary women artists, Delia Smith drove her around the country to meet the artists; through this the two became good friends.
and also an audio commentary for tourists to the Sistine Chapel:
Additionally she features in the following:
Bibliography:
Consecrated virgin
In the Catholic Church a consecrated virgin is a woman who has been conscrated by the church to a life of perpetual virginity in the service of God. Consecrated virgins are to spend their time in works of penance and mercy, in apostolic activity and in prayer, according to their state of life and...
and contemplative hermit
Hermit
A hermit is a person who lives, to some degree, in seclusion from society.In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Christian who lives the eremitic life out of a religious conviction, namely the Desert Theology of the Old Testament .In the...
who became a celebrity during the 1990s, presenting a series of acclaimed art history documentaries for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
.
Biography
She was born in South AfricaSouth Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and raised in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, where her father studied medicine. In 1946, she entered the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur
Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur
The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, is the name of a Roman Catholic order of religious sisters, dedicated to providing education to the poor.The order was founded in Amiens in 1803, but the opposition of the local bishop to missions outside his diocese led to the moving of headquarters to then...
, a religious congregation in the Latin
Latin Church
The Latin Church is the largest particular church within the Catholic Church. It is a particular church not on the level of the local particular churches known as dioceses or eparchies, but on the level of autonomous ritual churches, of which there are 23, the remaining 22 of which are Eastern...
branch of the Catholic Church. She was sent to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
where she completed her novitiate
Novitiate
Novitiate, alt. noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a novice monastic or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether they are called to the religious life....
and then studied at St Anne's College, Oxford University
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, where she was awarded a first class (with distinction) degree in English literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
. Outside her academic work, she lived in a convent
Convent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
that maintained the strict code of silence which was typical in convents prior to the reforms ushered in following the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
(1962-1965).
After attending a teacher training college in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, and earning a teaching diploma in 1954, she returned to South Africa to teach at Notre Dame Convent, a school for girls in Constantia
Constantia, Cape Town
Constantia is an affluent suburb of Cape Town, South Africa, situated about 15 kilometres south of the centre of Cape Town. The Constantia Valley lies to the east of and at the foot of the Constantiaberg mountain. Constantia Nek is a low pass linking to Hout Bay in the west.-History:Constantia is...
, Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, where she taught English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
. Later she moved to Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
where she was appointed the superior
Superior (hierarchy)
In a hierarchy or tree structure of any kind, a superior is an individual or position at a higher level in the hierarchy than another , and thus closer to the apex. It is often used in business terminology to refer to people who are supervisors and in the military to people who are higher in the...
of the local convent, while she also lectured at the University of the Witwatersrand
University of the Witwatersrand
The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg is a South African university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University...
. In 1970, health problems forced her to abandon teaching and return to England.
At that point, she obtained papal permission to leave her congregation and to become a consecrated virgin
Consecrated virgin
In the Catholic Church a consecrated virgin is a woman who has been conscrated by the church to a life of perpetual virginity in the service of God. Consecrated virgins are to spend their time in works of penance and mercy, in apostolic activity and in prayer, according to their state of life and...
. Sister Wendy's former congregation then arranged for her to live under the protection of the Carmelite nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
s at their monastery at Quidenham
Quidenham
Quidenham is a small rural village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.It covers an area of and had a population of 576 in 183 households as of the 2001 census...
, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, in the east of England. There she leads a contemplative lifestyle, and lives in a caravan
Travel trailer
A travel trailer or caravan is towed behind a road vehicle to provide a place to sleep which is more comfortable and protected than a tent . It provides the means for people to have their own home on a journey or a vacation, without relying on a motel or hotel, and enables them to stay in places...
on the grounds. Besides receiving the Carmelite prioress and a nun who brings her provisions, she dedicates her life solely to monastic solitude
Hermit
A hermit is a person who lives, to some degree, in seclusion from society.In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Christian who lives the eremitic life out of a religious conviction, namely the Desert Theology of the Old Testament .In the...
and prayer
Prayer
Prayer is a form of religious practice that seeks to activate a volitional rapport to a deity through deliberate practice. Prayer may be either individual or communal and take place in public or in private. It may involve the use of words or song. When language is used, prayer may take the form of...
, but allows herself two hours of work per day. She spent many years translating Medieval Latin
Medieval Latin
Medieval Latin was the form of Latin used in the Middle Ages, primarily as a medium of scholarly exchange and as the liturgical language of the medieval Roman Catholic Church, but also as a language of science, literature, law, and administration. Despite the clerical origin of many of its authors,...
scripts before deciding, in 1980, to pursue art, her favourite subject.
Sister Wendy Contemplates Saint Paul in Art was published in 2008 to celebrate the Year of Saint Paul. In May, 2009 Encounters with God: In Quest of the Ancient Icons of Mary was published, which follows Sister Wendy's pilgrimage to see the earliest icons of Mary that had survived the Byzantine iconoclasm.
Sister Wendy continued writing about her interest in icon
Icon
An icon is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, from Eastern Christianity and in certain Eastern Catholic churches...
s in the second volume of her "Sister Wendy Contemplates..." series, published in July 2011. This book, entitled "The Iconic Jesus", takes the reader through scenes from the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
, accompanied by Sister Wendy's reflections. Her next book, also published in 2011, "The Christ Journey", consists of her commentaries on the artwork of Greg Tricker. All books were published by St. Paul's Publishing, London.
When she required treating as a outpatient at a local hospital, the television chef Delia Smith
Delia Smith
Delia Smith CBE is an English cook and television presenter, known for teaching basic cookery skills. She is the UK's best-selling cookery author, with more than 21 million copies sold....
volunteered, through a mutual friend, to drive her there each week. When Sister Wendy was writing her book about contemporary women artists, Delia Smith drove her around the country to meet the artists; through this the two became good friends.
Documentaries and Bibliography
Sister Wendy has narrated the documentaries:- Sister Wendy's Odyssey (1992)
- Sister Wendy's Pains of Glass (1996)
- Sister Wendy's Grand Tour (1997)
- Sister Wendy's Story of Painting (1997)
- Sister Wendy's American Collection (2001)
- Sister Wendy at the Norton Simon Museum (2001)
and also an audio commentary for tourists to the Sistine Chapel:
- Sister Wendy's Sistine Chapel Artineraries Tour (2006)
Additionally she features in the following:
- Sister Wendy in Conversation with Bill Moyers (1997)
- Three appearances on Charlie Rose available on DVD:
- with Steve Chavis, Patricia Ireland, E.J.. Dionne & Ellis Cose; Wendy Beckett; Deborah Voigt (October 3, 1997)
- with Hugo Young; Andrew Neil; Wendy Beckett (November 18, 1997)
- with Adrian Noble; Mischa Glenny; Wendy Beckett (September 19, 2000)
- Treasures of Heaven (2011) (Andrew Graham-Dixon explores the ancient Christian practice of preserving holy relics and the largely forgotten art form that went with it. Sister Wendy appears in the programme and discusses the meaning behind a number of religious relics.)
Bibliography:
- 2011
- The Christ Journey - the art of Greg Tricker.
- 2011
- Sister Wendy Contemplates the Iconic Jesus
- 2009
- Encounters With God: In Quest of Ancient Icons of Mary
- 2008
- Bernard of Clairvaux: Sermons for Advent And the Christmas Season
- with John Leinenweber (Editor), Irene Edmonds (Translator), Wendy Mary Beckett (Translator), Conrad Greenia (Translator)
- Bernard of Clairvaux: Sermons for Advent And the Christmas Season
- 2007
- Sister Wendy on Prayer
- Sister Wendy's Meditations on the Mysteries of Our Faith
- 2006
- Speaking to the Heart: 100 Favorite Poems
- Sky-blue Is the Sapphire Crimson the Rose: Stillpoint of Desire in John of Forde by John, abbot of Forde, translated by Wendy Beckett
- Joy Lasts: On the Spiritual in Art
- 2001
- Sister Wendy's Impressionist Masterpieces
- Sister Wendy's American Masterpieces
- 2000
- Sister Wendy's American Collection
- In the Midst of Chaos, Peace (with Mary J. Dorcy and Dan Paulos)
- Sister Wendy's Book of Muses (with Justin Pumfrey)
- 1999
- Sister Wendy's 1,000 Masterpieces (with Patricia Wright)
- My Favourite Things: 75 Works of Art from Around the World
- 1998
- Sister Wendy's Nativity
- Inner Life: A Fellow Traveler's Guide to Prayer (by David Torkington; foreword by Sister Wendy)
- Sister Wendy's Odyssey: A Journey of Artistic Discovery
- Sister Wendy's Book of Meditations
- Sister Wendy's Book of Saints
- The Mystery of Love: Saints in Art Through the Ages
- 1997
- Sister Wendy's Story of Christmas: Adventures in Art
- Sister Wendy in Conversation with Bill Moyers: The Complete Conversation (edited by Karen Johnson)
- The Wisdom of the Apostles (compiled by Philip Law; introduction by Sister Wendy)
- The Duke and the Peasant: Life in the Middle Ages (with Jean De Berry)
- Max Beckmann and the Self
- 1996
- Sister Wendy's Grand Tour: Discovering Europe's Great Art
- Pains of Glass: The Story of the Passion from King's College Chapel, Cambridge (with George Pattison)
- 1995
- Sister Wendy's Meditations: Meditations on Joy
- Sister Wendy's Meditations: Meditations on Love
- Sister Wendy's Meditations: Meditations on Peace
- Sister Wendy's Meditations: Meditations on Silence
- A Child's Book of Prayer in Art
- 1994
- The Story of Painting
- The Gaze of Love: Meditations on Art and Spiritual Transformation
- 1993
- The Mystical Now: Art and the Sacred
Works about Sister Wendy by other people
- Postcards From GodPostcards From GodPostcards from God - The Sister Wendy Musical is a British musical with songs, lyrics and book by Marcus Reeves, based on the life and works of Sister Wendy Beckett, the noted art critic and nun of the order of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur....
: The Sister Wendy Musical was written by Marcus ReevesMarcus ReevesMarcus Reeves is a London based songwriter and performer. He studied at Central St. Martins College of Art and Design before moving into music and theatre and is best known as the creator of Postcards from God - The Sister Wendy Musical.In 2007, The Peggy Ramsay Foundation gave Reeves an award to...
and Beccy Smith and performed at the Jermyn Street TheatreJermyn Street TheatreJermyn Street Theatre is a performance venue situated in Jermyn Street, London.Formerly a restaurant, under the leadership of Howard Jameson, it was transformed into a 70-seat studio theatre right in the heart of London's West End...
in the West End in 2007 and Hackney Empire Studio Theatre in 2008.