Cecilia Giménez Zueco, the amateur artist who went viral with her well-intentioned by ultimately ill-fated restoration of a fresco of Jesus Christ in rural Spain, has died. She was 94.
In 2012, Giménez Zueco, a resident of the town of Borja, in Zaragoza, triggered a wave of criticism when her unfortunate attempt to revive the 1930 original Ecce Homo resulted in widespread ridicule.
The fresco was a typical example of a devotional art piece, characteristic of small local Spanish churches in the early 20th century. It was painted in a naive or folk art style, which added to its charm.
Condemned as a ‘fiasco’ for its apparent transformation of the image into that of a monkey, the work began famous for all the wrong reasons, with social media platforms swiftly sharing millions of people’s views on the image. It inspired countless memes, jokes, and even a Twitter profile (@eccemono) with its own hashtags.
But as evidence that every cloud does have a silver lining, Giménez’s restoration also brought the world’s media to the town and that extreme attention was followed by legions of tourists from around the world.
Giménez later even opened an exhibition of her paintings, this time original and unrestored. What’s undeniable is that she made Borja’s Ecce Homo famous and she became a pop phenomenon. She also set a precedent in the field of failed restorations, as all subsequent restorations were labelled as “another Ecce Homo”.
In recognition of her efforts the town’s mayor, Eduardo Arilla posted a tribute on Facebook, describing her as one of the Borja’s most beloved residents: “Her infinite generosity is reflected in what we have been able to do thanks to all that Ecce Homo has brought. Rest in peace, Cecilia, we will always remember you”.
Additional sources • AP