Art historian Sister Wendy Beckett has died. She was 88

The Carmelite Monastery of Quidenham said Beckett died at the monastery Wednesday afternoon.

She was a sister of the Catholic Church who became prominent in the 1990s presenting BBC shows about art history.

Her work included a series of well-received documentaries including “Sister Wendy’s Odyssey” and “Sister Wendy’s Grand Tour.”

The BBC said it commissioned Beckett in 1991 to host a TV documentary about the National Gallery in London. She stood in front of the paintings dressed in a black nun’s habit and discussed the paintings without a script or teleprompter.

“Sister Wendy had a unique presentation style, a deep knowledge of and passion for the arts,” BBC director of arts Jonty Claypole said. “She was a hugely popular BBC presenter and will be fondly remembered by us all.”

Close friend Xinran Xue said Beckett’s death was “a huge loss for the art world. She was a brilliant art critic.”

Beckett was born in South Africa and raised in Scotland. She joined a convent at 16 and started studying fine art in the 1980s.

She taught in Cape Town, South Africa, and Liverpool in northern England.