Sad news for art lovers and anyone big into memes in the back half of 2012: Cecilia Giménez has died at the age of 94. You may not remember her by name, but you know her work. She was the Spanish parishioner whose, uh, let’s say, attempted restoration of an aging fresco of Jesus that became one of the biggest, funniest stories of that past 20 years.
Her death was confirmed by Borja mayor Eduardo Arilla, who praised her as a kind, resilient woman deeply devoted to her church and community.
In August 2012, a then-81-year-old Giménez attempted to touch up Ecce Homo, a 19th-century fresco by Elias Garcia Martinez housed in the Sanctuary of Mercy Church near Zaragoza. The painting had been damaged by moisture over the decades, and, with permission from the local priest, Giménez stepped in to help restore it. Her genuine, earnest attempt at restoring this painting to its former glory quickly became a social media phenomenon.
The touchup was… interesting. The previously clear, sharp image of Christ had been replaced with a soft, hazy monkey-like Jesus who kind of looked like a Funko Pop at the midpoint between solid and melted.
The internet hivemind renamed it “Monkey Jesus,” and the image of her work went about as viral as anything has ever been, before or since.
The joke of it all became all-consuming, swallowing up Giménez’s side of the story. She would later say that the restoration work was unfinished at the time it was photographed. She had left it to dry and then went on vacation, planning to complete it when she got back. Instead, when she returned, it was the subject of worldwide ridicule. She would say that the reaction to her work hurt.
The problem is that it was a fresco, meaning it was painted directly onto the wall. She couldn’t take it off an easel and tuck it away somewhere out of sight. Anyone who walked into the church could easily spot it.
It was the ease of access that turned the meme into a touristy sensation. The quiet little town that housed it got around 5,000 visitors a year before Ecce Homo became a viral sensation. By the next year, 2013, tourist numbers jumped to 40,000, raising over €50,000 for charity. Ecce Homo’s viral impact was so intense that while those initial strong tourism numbers were never going to hold, they’ve dropped and held steady at around 15,000 to 20,000 visitors annually, all of whom come by to get a first-hand glimpse of Giménez’s work, bringing in money to a local economy and a church that never would’ve had this boom otherwise.
The world will remember her for one funny “failed” attempt at a restoration. Her parish will remember her for being so much more than that.
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