1 of 3
|
The Ecce Homo canvas, located in a church in Borja, was intervened in 2012. It is now known as 'Ecce Mono'.
Time after the failed restoration it became a tourist attraction.
2 of 3
|
In 2018, experts reacted angrily to the restoration of a 16th-century polychrome statue of Saint George that stood in the church of San Miguel in Estella, a city in the Navarra region.
3 of 3
|
The last in the series of failed restorations is this statue, located on Calle Mayor de Palencia.
(Credit: Antonio Capel)
(CNN) -
Make room, Ecce Homo (or, as it is known, 'Ecce Mono').
In the city of Palencia, in Spain, the latest in a series of strange art restoration attempts that hit the country was discovered.
A statue outside a building on the city's main historic street was defaced after a mysterious restorer tried to repair its broken head.
Local artist Antonio Capel noticed the work on Friday and uploaded photos to Facebook that quickly garnered a lot of attention online.
"He looks like a cartoon character," Capel wrote in the post.
Capel, whose studio is across the street from the statue, told CNN that he has not been able to find out who did the work or who commissioned it.
The statue is part of the facade of this building on the historic Calle Mayor de Palencia.
(Credit: Antonio Capel)
He said crowds of people have been gathering to take a look at the statue after its photos were released online and published by Spanish media.
advertising
Capel told CNN that he doesn't understand why amateur restorers think they can take on these projects, or why those responsible for the artworks authorize those works.
"I don't understand why they allow it," Capel told CNN.
"It doesn't seem normal to me," he added.
The Professional Association of Conservators and Restorers of Spain also spoke about the work.
"THIS # NoEsRestauración," the organization tweeted.
"It is a non-professional intervention," he added.
The latest in a series of failed restorations
Capel believes that the restoration attempt is worse than the famous work that was done on a fresco of Jesus on the wall of a church in the city of Borja in 2012.
Hobbyist restaurateur Cecilia Giménez has been widely criticized for her work, but it has turned into a rare success story.
READ: The «restored Ecce Homo» becomes a tourist attraction
The "Monkey Jesus", as he is known, not only caused a sensation on the Internet, but also attracted thousands of visitors to Borja.
In 2018, the failed restoration of a 16th-century polychrome statue of Saint George in the Church of San Miguel in Estella, a city in the Navarra region, unleashed the ire of art experts.