| Ecce Homo | |
|---|---|
 Ecce Homo before the restoration attempt | |
| Artist | Elías García Martínez, Cecilia Giménez (restoration attempt) |
| Type | Fresco |
| Dimensions | 50 cm × 40 cm (20 in × 16 in) |
| Location | Sanctuary of Mercy church,Borja, Zaragoza, Spain |
| Owner | Diocese of Tarazona |
TheEcce Homo (Latin: "Behold the Man") in the Sanctuary of Mercy church inBorja, Spain, is afresco painted circa 1930 by the Spanish painterElías García Martínez depictingJesuscrowned with thorns. Both the subject and style were typical of traditionalCatholic art.[1]
While press accounts agree that the original painting was artistically unremarkable,[2][3][4] its current fame derives from a partial attempt torestore the fresco by Cecilia Giménez, then an 81-year-old untrained amateur artist in 2012.[5][6] Her restoration was interrupted by a trip out of town, when the state of the restoration became at first a local and then international sensation. The intervention transformed the painting and made it look similar to amonkey, and for this reason it is sometimes referred to asEcce Mono (roughlyBehold the Monkey, "mono" being Spanish for "monkey"). The work has not been re-restored, instead it became an educational and tourist attraction.
The artist, a professor at the School of Art of Zaragoza, donated the painting to the village where he used to spend his holidays, painting it directly on the wall of the church in about 1930.[7][8] He commented that "this is the result of two hours of devotion to theVirgin of Mercy".[9] His descendants still live in Zaragoza and were aware that the painting had deteriorated seriously; his granddaughter had made a donation toward its restoration shortly before they discovered that the work had been radically altered in an incompetent attempt to restore it.[1][10]
The authorities in Borja said they had suspected vandalism at first, but then determined that the alterations had been made by a parishioner, Cecilia Giménez, who was 81 years old at the time.[11] She said on Spanish national television that she started to restore the fresco because she was upset that parts of it had flaked off due to excessive moisture on the church's walls. Giménez defended herself, saying she could not understand the uproar because she had worked in broad daylight and had tried to salvage the fresco with the approval of the local clergyman. "The priest knew it," she told Spanish television. "I've never tried to do anything hidden."[10]
Giménez said that the attempted restoration was actually an incomplete work in progress. "I left it to dry and went on holiday for two weeks, thinking I would finish the restoration when I returned", she said. "When I came back, everybody in the world had heard aboutEcce Homo. The way people reacted still hurts me, because I wasn’t finished with the restoration." She argued, "I still think about how if I hadn’t gone on holiday, none of this would have ever happened."[12]
News of the painting spread around the globe in August 2012 (thesilly season[13]) on mainstream and social media, which promptly rose to the status of aninternet phenomenon. BBC Europe correspondentChristian Fraser said that the result resembled a "crayon sketch of a very hairy monkey in an ill-fitting tunic".[5] The restored version has been jokingly dubbedEcce Mono ('Behold the Monkey'[a]) in an "online rush of global hilarity",[14][15][16] and the incident was compared to the plot of the 1997 filmBean.[17] Because of the negative attention, the priest of the church, Father Florencio Garces, thought the painting should be covered up.[18]
Giménez has since warmed up to the attention brought by her restoration attempt. Speaking publicly in 2015, she said, "everyone here sees what I did in a different light. The restoration has put Borja on the world map, meaning I’ve done something for my village that nobody else was able to do. So many people have come here – and to our beautiful church – to see the painting ... they tell me more than 130,000 people."[12]
Tongue-in-cheek critiques have interpreted the piece as a multifaceted comment on bothsacred andsecular themes. AForbes commentator suggested that the "inept restoration" represented "one woman's vision of her savior, uncompromised by schooling".[19][20] In September 2012, the artistic group Wallpeople presented hundreds of reworked versions of the new image on a wall near theCentre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona. An organizer commented that "Cecilia has created a pop icon".[21]
Later on, Spanish actressAssumpta Serna co-produced with Wildcard UK a documentary calledFresco Fiasco and acted in the movieBehold the Monkey, two films about the restoration. Both projects were seen in February 2016 on theSky Arts network in the UK.[22][23][24]
The interest from tourists was such that the church began charging to see the restored fresco.[25] In the year following the failed restoration, tourist activity generated 40,000 visits and more than €50,000 for a local charity.[26][27] Giménez has sought a share of the royalties; her lawyer said that she wanted her share of the profits to helpmuscular dystrophy charities because her son suffers from the condition.[28][29] The mayor had to mend the dispute between the families of both authors.[13] By 2016, the number of tourists visiting the town had increased from 6,000 to 57,000 or even 200,000;[22][23][24] in addition to spending money with local businesses, visitors have donated some €50,000 to the church. The money has been used to employ additional attendants at the church and to fund a home for retirees.[30][31] On 16 March 2016, aninterpretation centre dedicated to the artwork was opened in Borja.[32] The €3 tickets generate over €40,000 that, among other expenses, pay €15,000 for two (some years even five) elderly people in the town home for retirees. Cecilia Giménez also keeps 49% of the merchandising profit.[13][33]
Martinez is not a great artist and his painting Ecce Homo is not a 'masterpiece'. It is a minor painting in the dregs of an academic tradition.
Malestar e hilaridad general por destrozo que anciana 'restauradora' ocasionó a pintura.
[...] the updated monkey-like Christ has a freakish new power all its own, and may be its own kind of metaphor for modern man.
Works such as the Giménez Jesus are as vital for believers – and as insightful for the rest of us – as traditional masterpieces, albeit for different reasons... We gain access to one woman's vision of her savior, uncompromised by schooling. Her painting documents a live relationship. For some, that will be alluring, inviting them likewise to pursue their connection with their god or messiah. To any of us willing to set aside our sneering irony, it provides rare raw access to human faith at work.
Media related toEcce Homo (Elias Garcia Martinez) at Wikimedia Commons41°51′16.83″N1°34′31.52″W / 41.8546750°N 1.5754222°W /41.8546750; -1.5754222
