Spanish-born Woman Who Found Notoriety for Botching a Prized Painting Restoration Has Died at Age 94
The elderly woman from Spain who achieved global fame for her infamous repair job on a valuable religious painting has died 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 undertook to repaint a century-old painting known as Ecce Homo housed within her local church.
Giménez's handiwork spread across the internet and was dubbed "Potato Jesus", because the resulting depiction of Christ's head bearing a resemblance to a furry primate.
Local Confirmation and Homage
The 94-year-old's passing was announced by Borja's mayor, Eduardo Arilla, via an online statement, where he acknowledged her as a "great lover of painting from a young age".
"Descansa en paz Cecilia, your memory will live on with us," the mayor posted.
Arilla also paid tribute to Giménez's "now-legendary restoration of Ecce Homo" in August 2012, which "because of the deteriorated condition it was in, Cecilia, acting in good faith, chose to apply new paint over the original".
The Artwork's History and the Fateful Act
The Ecce Homo ("Behold the Man" in Latin) by nineteenth-century painter Elias Garcia Martinez had resided for more than a century in the Sanctuary of Mercy Church near Zaragoza.
At the time, Giménez, who was 81 years old, stated that parishioners had "traditionally fixed everything here", and that she had received permission from the local priest to proceed.
She added at the time that anyone who came into the Church would have seen she was applying paint to the original image.
An Unexpected Economic Lifeline
The aftermath of the repaint job spawned the "Monkey Christ" internet phenomenon and saw the once quiet town of Borja quickly become a significant tourist destination.
The municipality, which had previously seen only five thousand tourists per year, received over 40,000 tourists by 2013, and managed to raise over €50,000 for charity from the interest.
Currently, officials say that between 15,000 and 20,000 tourists travel to Borja each year to view the famous painting, which is now displayed behind a protective shield of glass.
Legacy and Local Admiration
After recovering from the initial backlash, backed by local residents and others around the world, Giménez went on to hold an art exhibition showcasing 28 of her personal works.
She was commended by Borja's mayor for her generosity and years of dedication to the parish.
Ultimately, what began as a sincere but unsuccessful art repair forged an improbable cultural icon and provided unprecedented attention and resources to a small Spanish town.
