Experts are now trying to salvage the painting of Jesus Christ in a crown of thorns, known as “Ecce Homo,” or “behold the man.” The terribly botched restoration has been jokingly dubbed “Ecce Mono,” or “behold the monkey” for the new painting’s striking similarity to what BBC called “a crayon sketch of a very hairy monkey in an ill-fitting tunic.”

The failed artist was identified in Spanish media as Cecilia Gimenez, a churchgoer in her 80s who was apparently dissatisfied with the rate of restoration on the fresco as it hung in The Sanctuary of Mercy Church near the Spanish city of Zaragoza.

The elderly woman acted without authorization from anyone, according to the Center for Borjanos, a local cultural organization which had received a donation to restore Elias Garcia Martinez’s original fresco in coming months.



  1. kmfix says:

    BEST RESTORATION EVER!!!!

  2. Dallas says:

    I’ve seen toast with a better rendition.

    Let’s hope the Bible’s interpretation isn’t this fucked up .

  3. Wan Khairil says:

    At least she tried. A+ for effort!

  4. Animal Mother says:

    Why doesn’t Jesus fix it with his magic wand?

  5. Kelvington says:

    This restoration looks just like Alice The Goon from Popeye! http://kelvington.com/TEMP/Alice.jpg

  6. deowll says:

    I can’t fix the picture and since we don’t get a vote on what to do about it I’ll let others pontificate.

    On the other hand this article is interesting and you are impacted. Anyone got the answers? http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/08/23/why-are-on-brink-greatest-depression-all-time/

    • We need leadership says:

      Some say the Mayan calendar comes to an end on December 23, 2012 and only a few people will survive the ensuing catastrophe.

      Looking for a physical event? Maybe the Mayan’s were thinking economic collapse.

      • BurningSol says:

        Im gonna say you nailed it! I haven’t heard anyone else talking about the collapse thats coming. Good for you for being informed. We are so f’d!

    • bobbo, the big Atheist says:

      Good article. I for one stated the same issue right here on this blog 3 years ago WITH the answer:

      Same as it always was:

      Massive inflation so the debt gets paid off by worthless dollars.

      We are not in a recovery, we are in a resetting of our economy. With robots and computers, we have more people than we have jobs. This requires a new model for society. It won’t come easy.

      • Matchbook Cover says:

        You mean my dreams of becoming an elevator operator isn’t going to happen?

        Damn robots. Maybe I can wipe up their oil drippings when they summon me.

    • msbpodcast says:

      The motivation behind this piece of sensationalistic piece Fox alarmism is simple: because trying to sell ads around “Tomorrow is going to pretty much like yesterday” is hard.

      • deowll says:

        Tomorrow is going to be pretty much like to today? I agree but the money bomb is ticking and after it goes off no day is going to be like it used to be in this nation.

  7. Salvador Dolly says:

    How you say… uh … What ’tis el problemo?

    At least she’s not into taxidermy:

    http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m79h45vxMH1qze1jro1_500.jpg

    http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kw5bav0x1f1qze1jro1_400.jpg

  8. George says:

    At least they aren’t going to be so goofy as to spend hundreds of thousands trying to get the old one back, instead opting for a photo of what was once there.

    I’d suggest just sanding the whole mess off the wall, and getting an artist to do a modern version of what was once there.

  9. bobbo, the big Atheist says:

    Well, thats too bad. A little bit of our history lost. Eventually, everything changes.

  10. Likely looks more like the real Jesus.

    Wait a minute, what did I just say?

  11. Dingaling says:

    That figures. Some religious fool who thinks they know it all tried to do it all – AGAIN!

  12. Somebody says:

    Yeah, I heard the BBC’s coverage.

    Classic case of Schadenfreude.

  13. AdmFubar says:

    eeep! reminds me of my mothers attempt at fixing her artwork after the dementia/alzheimer’s settled in..

    mom’s favorite thing to re-do were eyes, she’d do them over and over until she had holes in the paper.. we had to stop her from ruining all her artwork…
    thankfully she had lost interest in these “restoration attempts”.

  14. The Monster's Lawyer says:

    I don’t know, I sort of like the new version. Modern Impressionism without all that cubism crap Picasso employed. I believe she did capture the essence.

  15. t0llyb0ng says:

    The upper part of the face looks vaguely Modigliani-esque in a primitive sort of way.  That mouth wasn’t happening though.  Maybe that’s when she knew she was in trouble & had to stop.

    Wonder if this image will show up:

    http://imgc.allpostersimages.com/images/P-473-488-90/51/5138/ADOEG00Z/posters/amedeo-modigliani-portrait-of-leopold-zborowski.jpg

  16. keepthefresco says:

    We are organizing a petition to stop the church from restoring the fresco to its original state. We like it as it is! Its an improvement! If you agree please like this page
    http://t.co/8MNraqNS

  17. UncDon says:

    The first thought as to what to say when I saw the new image was, of course, “Christ!”

  18. Elwood Pleebus says:

    perhaps they could donate it to http://www.museumofbadart.org/

  19. denacron says:

    Down’s syndrome Jesus.

  20. Peppeddu says:

    Little correction…

    A fresco doesn’t hang on the wall
    A fresco *is* painted on the wall

  21. hmeyers says:

    Why aren’t Muslims upset?

    The dopey looking picture, that’s Muhammed. It is against Islamic law to portray him in a picture.

    • Rich says:

      I think the “restoration” is a worthwhile work unto itself now. If the original is restored, this one will be destroyed. What to do?

  22. Bennett Turk says:

    I think the painting looks like Alice the Goon from the Popeye cartoons. Cecilia Gimenez is either a “paint by numbers” artist or someone who should be limited to drawing with crayons in a coloring book.


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