“[E]veryone else is making money and I’m just criticised for making this ugly thing”
Tens of thousands of tourists have made the journey to the unremarkable town in rural Aragon, paying an entrance charge at the church to stand in front of the mural and laugh at Mrs Giménez’s handiwork. Now, in her first interview with a British newspaper, the DIY restorer has told The Daily Telegraph how she wished she could turn back the clock. “I never would have attempted it if I knew it would lead to this,” the sprightly octogenarian said, remorsefully, at her home on the corner of Plaza San Francisco in the centre of Borja…
“I was only trying to do a good thing, I wanted to return it to its former glory. But very quickly it started to go wrong, the paint absorbed into the damp. It got out of control.”…
The town, like the rest of Spain suffering economic crisis and high unemployment, has enjoyed boom months since “Ecce Mono” went viral.
“We’ve had hordes of people – 35,000 from August to December – coming to the town just to see the painting,” he laughed.
“They pay a €1 (80p) entrance fee and stay overnight and eat in local restaurants. That painting isn’t making anyone rich, but it’s keeping businesses in this town from closing.
Blowback
Note from Hot Air management: This section is for comments from Hot Air's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Hot Air management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment just because we let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with our terms of use may lose their posting privilege.
Trackbacks/Pings
Trackback URL
Comments
She’s trying to negotiate for royalties when at first they were going to sue her or press charges for vandalism. She has nerve. She should be happy some good came out of it and they didn’t go after her. And the proceeds she wants is going towards the church upkeep and a charitable retirement home. And she wants some of that for ruining an old piece of art. Odd. And complaining that other people are making money from feeding and boarding the tourists to come see her disaster and laugh at it. So European to want a piece of it.
rose-of-sharon on December 27, 2012 at 12:46 AM
One wonders if she tried recreating it on canvas before attempting it on a damp wall – and then maybe on some other blank part of the wall.
Odysseus on December 27, 2012 at 7:16 AM