Wednesday Trivia Question

What was the name of the art expert nun who hosted several PBS series in the 1990s and 2000s?

One of the great things about PBS is that many series evolved out of an individual’s love and expertise in a specific area. WOODWRIGHT’S SHOP would never have existed if it weren’t for Roy Underhill and Rick Steves’ knowledge of European travel gave rise to a virtual empire of globetrotting programming. So it certainly is understandable that one woman’s desire to showcase art would lend itself to several series.

The woman in question was a British religious sister and art historian. Born in the Union of South Africa and raised in Scotland, she entered the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, a Roman Catholic congregation of religious sisters dedicated to education, in 1946. The following decades saw her studies and religious commitment continue in various countries. She published her first book on art in 1988 and, by the mid-90s, she had hosted and narrated several television documentaries on various artistic subjects.

Some of her television presentations include ODYSSEY, GRAND TOUR, PAINS OF GLASS and THE STORY OF PAINTING. Of course, the full titles included her name since she became a brand unto herself: the art nun.

Sadly she passed away in 2018 at the Carmelite Monastery in Norfolk at the age of 88. But not before leaving behind a very interesting legacy.

So who was she? What was the name of the art-loving nun who hosted such series as THE STORY OF PAINTING in the 1990s and beyond?