Spanish Woman Who Found Notoriety for Mishandling a Prized Painting Repair Has Died at the Age of 94
The elderly woman from Spain who made international headlines for her poorly executed restoration attempt on a cherished religious painting has passed away at the age 94.
Cecilia Giménez, a resident of the town of Borja in northern Spain, became a global sensation thirteen years ago after she attempted to restore a 100-year-old fresco known as Ecce Homo located in her local church.
Giménez's restoration effort quickly went viral and was dubbed "Potato Jesus", because the altered likeness of Christ's head bearing a resemblance to a furry primate.
Local Confirmation and Homage
The 94-year-old's passing was confirmed by Borja's mayor, Eduardo Arilla, in a social media post, where he described her as a "passionate lover of painting from a young age".
"Descansa en paz Cecilia, we will always remember you," Arilla wrote.
Arilla also paid tribute to Giménez's "now-legendary restoration of Ecce Homo" in August 2012, which "due to the poor state of conservation it was in, Cecilia, acting in good faith, chose to repaint the work over".
The Painting's Background and the Fateful Intervention
The Ecce Homo ("This is the Man" in Latin) painted by 19th century painter Elias Garcia Martinez had been held for over a century in the Sanctuary of Mercy Church near Zaragoza.
At the time, Giménez, who was 81 years old, stated that church members had "always repaired everything here", and that she had been given the go-ahead from the local priest to proceed.
She also noted that anyone who came into the Church would have observed she was applying paint to the existing artwork.
A Surprising Tourist Boom
The impact of the repaint job spawned the "Ecce Mono" meme and transformed the previously sleepy town of Borja quickly become a major visitor attraction.
The municipality, which had in the past seen only 5,000 tourists per year, received more than 40,000 tourists by 2013, and generated more than €50,000 for charity from the interest.
Today, local authorities estimate that somewhere around 15,000 and 20,000 tourists travel to Borja each year to view the notorious portrait, which is now protected by a pane of glass.
Later Life and Local Admiration
Following the wave of criticism, with support from the townspeople and others around the world, Giménez went on to stage an exhibition of her paintings featuring 28 of her own paintings.
She was praised by Borja's mayor for her generosity and years of faithful service to the church.
Ultimately, what began as a sincere but unsuccessful act of restoration created an unlikely piece of pop culture and provided remarkable tourist revenue to a humble Spanish town.
