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Arts & Culture

Sister Wendy At The Norton Simon Museum

Sister Wendy Beckett (pictured), the world-famous “art nun,” explores the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, Calif., a repository for one of the most extraordinary collections of Old Master, Impressionist, Modern and Asian art in the United States. In her trademark manner, she offers her own inimitable reflections on some of the collection’s most famous works and some of its lesser-known gems. She points out her personal favorites and reflects on Simon’s choices as well.
Courtesy of American Public Television
Sister Wendy Beckett (pictured), the world-famous “art nun,” explores the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, Calif., a repository for one of the most extraordinary collections of Old Master, Impressionist, Modern and Asian art in the United States. In her trademark manner, she offers her own inimitable reflections on some of the collection’s most famous works and some of its lesser-known gems. She points out her personal favorites and reflects on Simon’s choices as well.

Airs Friday, January 18, 2013 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV

Sister Wendy Beckett, the world-famous “art nun,” offers her unique and personal guide to one of the most extraordinary collections of Old Master, Impressionist, Modern and Asian art in America. "Sister Wendy At The Norton Simon Museum" airs on public television stations nationwide beginning July 2012.

Sister Wendy explores the Norton Simon Museum of Art in Pasadena, California which bears the hallmark of one private collector, its founder Norton Simon.

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Norton Simon Museum is on Facebook, and you can follow @NortonSimon on Twitter.

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Entrance hall of the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, California, 2006.
Courtesy of Clayoquot
Entrance hall of the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, California, 2006.

The Norton Simon Museum, home to more than 1,000 works, is known around the world as one of the most remarkable private art collections assembled. The museum features impressionist and post-impressionist collections, with paintings by Manet, Renoir, Monet, Degas, van Gogh, Toulouse-Lautrec and Cézanne.

In addition, there are 20th-century works by Picasso, Braque, Matisse, Klee, Kandinsky and the German expressionists. Complementing the Western art is a collection of Asian sculpture from India and Southeast Asia spanning a period of 2,000 years.

In her trademark manner, Sister Wendy offers her own inimitable reflections on some of the collection’s most famous works and some of its lesser-known gems. She points out her personal favorites and reflects on Norton Simon’s choices.

From portraits by Rembrandt and van Gogh to exquisite Asian sculptures, still lifes by Zurbarán to modern sculpture by Barbara Hepworth, Sister Wendy highlights the cultural and artistic significance of the pieces.

In her commentary, she brings to life great works such as Edgar Degas’ famous pastel, "Waiting" (1880-1182) and Peter Paul Rubens’ masterpiece, "The Holy Women at the Sepulchre" (c.1611-1614). The program not only explores these works of art, but also provides fascinating insight into Norton Simon, the collector.

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This is Sister Wendy’s personal tour, rather than a comprehensive look at the Museum’s collection. Yet the documentary also reflects on the depth of the collection and includes montages illustrating more works of art than can be covered by Sister Wendy.

Sister Wendy: Vincent van Gogh