Art Restoration so Terrible, Anyone Could Do it

Beautiful art can encapsulate an era and define a place. Tourists will travel from afar; enthusiasts will pay to see remarkable work with their own eyes. Great artwork is worth preserving and restoring… and shoddy artwork and restorations are worth at least a good laugh.

A Sculpture Left in the Microwave

A bust of a woman smiling outside of a building was rehabbed at some point in Palencia, a northern Spanish town. The ‘restoration’ was only noticed recently and had locals questioning the statue’s finished product.

The transformation has locals and tourists alike longing for the old and lamenting the new. Critics have suggested the newly restored statue looks more like a cartoon than its original form.

Saint George Gets the Pastel Treatment

The muted colors in the painting of St. George at the Church of San Miguel de Estella could have, indeed used some touching up.

After a teacher attacked the painting with loud pastel paint, the Church was fined 6,000 Euros for butchering the portrait.

Monkey See Monkey Paint

Ecce Homo, a painting depicting Jesus Christ wearing a crown of thorns was originally painted in 1930 by artist Elias Garcia Martinez. It hung in a Sanctuary in Spain for years.

It was ‘restored’ in 2012 by an 82-year-old woman, Cecilia Gimenez. Surely, the painting did not come out as intended with Jesus looking like a capuchin monkey.

Mr. Rogers Restores Wooden Sculpture

When appreciating the original version of this religious sculpture kept at a Spanish Church, your eyes may be drawn to the intricate woodwork and attention to detail.

After Maria Luisa Menendez was told she could spruce it up, perhaps the woodwork won’t be the first thing you noticed as the statue looks more like a prop from Mr. Rogers’ Land of Make Believe.

St. Anthony of Padua Gets a Makeover

St. Anthony of Padua was a priest in Portugal not known for his love for fashion and makeup. That didn’t stop the restorer of this statue from giving Anthony, and the baby he is holding a 21st century Glow-Up.

True, No one knows what baby Jesus actually looked like, but…

Throughout history, artists have sculpted countless statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary with Baby Jesus. With so many artists and variations, it can be hard to pick one that stands out from the rest. Presumably, that’s the issue the artist who restored this sculpture aimed to fix.

Which One is the Restored Picture

One must exercise precision when restoring a fine piece of artwork. Mosaics are certainly no exception. You can’t commission just anyone to do the job. That being said, you would be forgiven for getting the before and after picture of this mosaic confused.

Murillo Painting

Spanish Baroque painter, Bartolome Esteban Murillo’s work is highly sought after and in museums across the world. He is known for his religious paintings as well as portraits of women and children. When a private collector paid to have his painting restored, he was unhappy to say the least. The second time he had it restored was not much better.

A Great Soccer Player Deserves a Great Sculpture…

Lastly, we turn to a bust of Portuguese soccer player, Cristiano Ronaldo. When this bust was dedicated to Ronaldo, it had decidedly missed the mark. This statue has not yet been restored. Perhaps, not even those responsible for the restorations we’ve seen before could make this worse.