Cecilia Giménez
‘130,000 people have seen Ecce Homo now’
Cecilia Giménez became one of Spain’s best-known living artists in August 2012. Her attempt to restore Ecce Homo – a fresco of Jesus in her local church – attracted global attention and becamean online meme. More than two years later, tourists continue to trek to the village of Borja to marvel at what has been dubbed the “worst restoration in history”.
Now when I look at Ecce Homo, I see something positive. But it took me a long time to get to this point. At the beginning I suffered a lot. I cried every day. There were people waiting for me at my door, chasing me down with cameras and questions. It was too much for me – I’m an 84-year-old widow.
I’m not one of the world’s great painters. But I’ve loved painting my whole life and even had a few of my own art shows. For two decades I looked after the painting of Ecce Homo in the Santuario de Misericordia church, fixing it up whenever I thought it needed it. Because of the salt and humidity in our air here, the paint was always peeling. I’m sure that if I hadn’t taken an interest in saving the painting, it wouldn’t even exist today.
That day I noticed how badly the paint was peeling. So I wet the painting, making broad strokes. Then I left it to dry and went on holiday for two weeks, thinking I would finish the restoration when I returned.
When I came back, everybody in the world had heard about Ecce Homo. The way people reacted still hurts me, because I wasn’t finished with the restoration. I still think about how if I hadn’t gone on holiday, none of this would have ever happened.
Reporters told the world the story of the old woman who couldn’t paint and had ruined a painting. That’s not true. It is true that I haven’t done many portraits. But if it hadn’t been for me, the painting would have probably disappeared long ago.
A week after the scandal, I received flowers and a card with a message of support. It was little gestures like that kept me going during the first month. It was so hard. I lost six kilos. I had to take medication for anxiety.
More than two years later, 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.
When you work in art, your name is everything. And now the name Cecilia Giménez is known. I held an art show last year and I’ve got another planned for the next few months with 20 or so of my paintings. Before all this, my paintings used to sell for low prices, say €500 or €1,000 apiece. Now I’ve been able to sell a few of my pieces for more. I won’t tell you how much – but let’s just say that it was a good price for me.
Interview by Ashifa Kassam in The Guardian
Wonderful stuff!
Behold! The eyes now look towards us, not God!
It records an important cultural change in life, in art.
Love it........ for naively breaking through the conventions that bind.
And now this painting really does suit its title, "Behold the man" in a modern context.Art on the move, not dead....
She made this painting relevant again!
Behold! The eyes now look towards us, not God!
It records an important cultural change in life, in art.
Love it........ for naively breaking through the conventions that bind.
And now this painting really does suit its title, "Behold the man" in a modern context.Art on the move, not dead....
She made this painting relevant again!
