It's no stretch to say Spain has a bit of a bad reputation when it comes to restoring works of art. There is, of course, the 2012 "restoration" of Ecce Homo, aka Beast Jesus...
...as well as this amateur restoration of a 16th-century wooden carving of St. George from June of this year.
Well, add to that list what recently happened to this 15th-century wooden sculpture of Mary, St. Anne, and baby Jesus, which adorn a chapel in El Rañadoiro, Asturias.
Having decided it looked "horrible," María Luisa Menéndez, a local tobacco shop owner, took it upon herself to give the statue a neon paint job. Here's what it looks like now:
“I’m not a professional painter, but I’ve always enjoyed it, and these images really were in need of painting,” she told El Comercio. “So I painted them the best I could, with the colors that seemed right, and the neighbors like it.”
To recap, Jesus then:
Jesus now:
BUT THE NEIGHBORS LIKE IT!!!
For its part, ACRE, the Spanish art conservation association, called Menéndez's work a "plunder."
De nuevo gritamos #SOSPatrimonio. ¿A nadie le importa este expolio continuado en nuestro país? ¿Qué tipo de sociedad permite pasiva que destruyan ante sus ojos el legado de sus antepasados? https://t.co/iCEqmxtvDc https://t.co/PhW7BGfZGc
According to the New York Times, Menéndez may also face legal consequences.
In conclusion:
