Spanish Woman Who Found Fame for Mishandling a Prized Painting Repair Has Died at the Age of 94
The elderly woman from Spain who made international headlines for her infamous repair job on a valuable religious painting has died at the age of 94.
Cecilia Giménez, a resident of the town of Borja in northeast Spain, rose to prominence 13 years ago after she attempted to repaint a century-old painting known as Ecce Homo located in her parish church.
Giménez's restoration effort quickly went viral and earned the moniker "Potato Jesus", because the resulting depiction of Christ's head bearing a resemblance to a furry primate.
Official Announcement and Tribute
The 94-year-old's death was confirmed by Borja's mayor, Eduardo Arilla, in a social media post, where he acknowledged her as a "great enthusiast of painting from a young age".
"Descansa en paz Cecilia, your memory will live on with us," Arilla wrote.
Arilla also paid tribute to Giménez's "now-legendary restoration of Ecce Homo" in August 2012, which "because of the poor state of conservation it was in, Cecilia, acting in good faith, decided to apply new paint over the original".
The Artwork's History and the Fateful Intervention
The Ecce Homo ("This is the Man" in Latin) by nineteenth-century artist Elias Garcia Martinez had resided for over a century in the Sanctuary of Mercy Church near Zaragoza.
In 2012, Giménez, then 81, explained that parishioners had "traditionally fixed everything here", and that she had received permission from the parish priest to do the work.
She also noted that anybody who came into the Church would have observed she was applying paint to the existing artwork.
An Unexpected Tourist Boom
The impact of the repaint job led to the creation of the "Monkey Christ" meme and transformed the previously sleepy town of Borja rapidly turn into a significant visitor attraction.
The town, which had in the past welcomed just five thousand tourists per year, attracted more than 40,000 tourists by 2013, and generated over €50,000 for charity from the interest.
Today, local authorities estimate that somewhere around 15,000 and 20,000 tourists visit Borja every year to view the famous portrait, which is now displayed behind a protective shield of glass.
Legacy and Local Support
Following the wave of criticism, backed by the townspeople and well-wishers around the world, Giménez went on to hold an art exhibition showcasing 28 of her personal 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 cultural icon and provided remarkable attention and resources to a humble Spanish town.
