by Art restoration is good… an art. And when it goes wrong, it really goes wrong. The latest clumsy work to make headlines is the restoration of The Birth of Piero della Francesca, described by The Guardian’s Jonathan Jones as “a pastiche of Renaissance art by a very cheap, very bad practice.” This latest failure has drawn more outrage because it wasn’t done by an inexperienced restorer who took a chance with our how-to series, but rather was brought back to life by the team at the British National Gallery.
The new version of a shepherd’s “empty and grumpy, even constipated” not only made us giggle while drinking our coffee, it also reminded us that art restoration had gone wrong or gone too well in one case. feels wrong. We’ve rounded up some of our favorite artwork restoration failures below for your viewing pleasure.
01. The Monkey Jesus disaster
Known as ‘Jesus the Monkey’, this disastrous restoration took place when 81-year-old Cecilia Giménez undertook to ‘rescue’ a fresco painted by Elías García Martínez in 1930 that hung in her local church. Giménez had not actually finished the restoration, when a local history society came across the artifact and brought it to the attention of the world media. With the face of Jesus seemingly transformed into a monkey, this was the unsuccessful restoration of the internet age OG. A lot of joy and memes followed the revelation.
Despite initially causing stress and embarrassment, Monkey Christ has boosted tourism in the Borja town of Giménez. (opens in new tab) In Spain, many flock to churches to see the masterpiece. We’re not sure we can say it was worth it, though.
02. Less than perfect pregnancy
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo’s Immaculate Conception has suffered not one but two failed restoration attempts. A Valencia-based art collector apparently paid €1,200 to have the painting cleaned by a furniture restorer, proving, if nothing else, that furniture restoration and art restoration are two very different beasts.
The first attempt makes the Virgin Mary look quite young, while the second does something very strange to her eyes. Needless to say, it’s not a foolproof venture.
03. Potato Head in Palencia
This carved figure, which adorns an early 20th-century building in Palencia, Spain, received a rather eerie makeover in 2020. We’re pretty sure it’s not exactly what the restorer intended.
04. Sassy Ghent altarpiece
This isn’t exactly a lousy job, but bear with us… The Ghent Altar was painted in the 15th century by brothers Jan and Hubert Van Eyck, but over the centuries the invaluable 12-panel polyptych has turned yellow, and the lamb, which is the centerpiece of the scene, is especially by a different artist. had been painted.
You can probably guess where this is going. That lamb was restored as part of a four-year project, and the results really got people talking. It should be noted that this restoration was by no means a failure of art restoration, in fact, it restored what the Van Eyck brothers had drawn long ago. But the human nature of the lamb’s face makes many people wonder “why is this lamb so spoiled?” We will never know.
05. Virgin Mary and baby Maggie Simpson
In Canada, a statue of the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus caused confusion in 2016. Vandals targeted the statue, decapitating the baby Jesus and leaving it nearby until someone eventually took his head completely off. A local artist was tasked with creating a new one, and the results were… interesting. A lot of people have noticed a similarity between baby Jesus and Maggie Simpson, and we’re certainly not arguing.
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