Another Restoration Gone Wrong In Spain – IOTW Report

Another Restoration Gone Wrong In Spain

artnet

An attempt to restore a copy of baroque artist Bartolomé Esteban Murillo’s The Immaculate Conception of Los Venerables has turned its beatific Virgin Mary into a misshapen lump with red lips.

Immediately drawing comparisons to the viral “Beast Jesus” restoration fail of 2012, this latest attempt by an amateur restorer is prompting experts in Spain to call for more stringent regulations.

The anonymous owner of the marred Murillo work paid €1,200 ($1,350) for it to be cleaned by a furniture restorer, Europa Press reported, and was outraged when not one, but two attempts resulted in a complete disfiguration. More

26 Comments on Another Restoration Gone Wrong In Spain

  1. It’s actually more hilarious than tragic. The Beast Jesus was hysterical when I first saw it. I recall I couldn’t stop laughing every time I saw the pic. Nothing lasts forever, everything will fade away, even a rock will turn into sand. Let things be, helping makes it worse.

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  2. OMG! Such ham-handed “restorers” should be dragged behind a pickup truck down a long dusty Texas road.
    Such work deserves not one – not two – but a triple STNG Picard/Riker facepalm.

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  3. Best line: “I don’t think this guy—or these people—should be referred to as restorers.” Fernando Carrera, professor in conservation and restoration. The owner of the painting replied, “Ya, think?”

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  4. “Don’t Drink and Restore.”

    Being completely objective, I don’t believe I could have fucked it up worse.
    And iotwR has experienced my “artwork” (during the “draw Mahomet” thing).

    izlamo delenda est …

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  5. Somewhat off-topic: I watched a segment of Between the Wars, with Indy Nidell last night, on the Spanish Civil War. The similarities to our current civil unrest are chilling. Watch it if you get a chance, on YouTube.

    Edit: Indy Nidell was the presenter; he wasn’t watching it with me. Sister Michael Ann would be appalled by the deterioration of my grammar skills since 6th grade.

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  6. A definition of art I came up with in college:

    1. If I look at it and can’t tell what it is, it isn’t art.

    2. If I could have painted it myself,
    it’s not art.

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  7. Can you imagine PAYING someone to destroy your beautiful art piece?
    – Shouldn’t the owners ask for credentials, prior samples, before handing their art to these destructive amateurs?

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