At Large  November 23, 2023  Anna Claire Mauney

5 Art Restoration Fails That Will Blow Your Mind

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Author: anna
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The following failed restoration attempts range from humorous to disgraceful. Some were so easy to fix, it was like they never happened. Others have left masterpieces so irrevocably damaged that it was a real cultural loss with huge fines issued. The rest seem to fall into a gray area, with members of the general public and professional communities still debating whether or not these so-called failures carry much weight in the grand scheme. 

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ecce homo original and botched restoration
Elías García Martínez, Ecce Homo, 1930. Fresco. Sanctuary of Mercy Church, Borja, Zaragoza, Spain.

The most infamous botched restoration of the modern era is easily Ecce Homo. Originally painted by Elías García Martínez in 1930, the fresco drew an elderly parishioner’s attention when she noticed parts of it flaking off. This damage was likely due to moisture. The parishioner, then in her eighties, decided to restore the piece with a local clergyman’s blessing. The resulting image quickly circulated across social media and traditional news outlets and led to a substantial boost in tourism. A local museum reported that visitor numbers jumped from around 6,000 to 57,000.

About the Author

Anna Claire Mauney

Anna Claire Mauney is the former managing editor for Art & Object. A writer and artist living in North Carolina, she is interested in illustration, the 18th-century, and viceregal South America. She is also the co-host of An Obsessive Nature, a podcast about writing and pop culture.