80-year-old's botched restoration of Jesus painting sells for over $1,000 on eBay
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}This combination of two undated handout photos made available by the Centro de estudios Borjanos shows the 20th century Ecce Homo-style fresco of Christ before (left) and after (right) an elderly amateur artist took it upon herself to restore it. (AP2012)
A painting by the 80-year-old Spanish artist who became famous for her botched restoration of a Christ fresco in a small-town church has fetched $1,421 on eBay.
The closing price Tuesday for Celia Gimenez's oil painting "Las Bodegas de Borja" ("Borja's Wine Cellar") more than tripled its starting price after 52 bids.
Gimenez said the proceeds will to the Catholic charity organization Caritas.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Gimenez became a sensation in August when pictures spread on the Internet of an "Ecce Homo" ("Behold the Man") mural in the town of Borja that she disfigured while trying to restore it. Twitter users redubbed it "Ecce Mono" ("Behold the Monkey").
The painting has since become a tourist attraction and the image has been used on T-shirts and wine labels.