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| Ecce Homo's amateur 'restorer' finds notoriety raises interest in her own art | Ecce Homo's amateur 'restorer' finds notoriety raises interest in her own art |
| (4 months later) | |
| Fame has come late to Cecilia Gímenez, an 80-year-old Spanish painter whose disastrous attempt at restoring a 19th-century Ecce Homo on the walls of her local church spread her name around the globe over the summer. | Fame has come late to Cecilia Gímenez, an 80-year-old Spanish painter whose disastrous attempt at restoring a 19th-century Ecce Homo on the walls of her local church spread her name around the globe over the summer. |
| The botched restoration of the painting by artist Elías García Martínez earned her a reputation as a bold, if brutal, restorer of other people's works – though it was also dubbed "the worst restoration in history". | The botched restoration of the painting by artist Elías García Martínez earned her a reputation as a bold, if brutal, restorer of other people's works – though it was also dubbed "the worst restoration in history". |
| Now Gímenez has appeared as an artist in her own right, with one of her pictures currently for sale on eBay. Bidding for the scene of some rural buildings near her native town of Borja started vigorously, with nine bids over the first four hours pushing the price up from a starting €300 (£240) to more than €400. | Now Gímenez has appeared as an artist in her own right, with one of her pictures currently for sale on eBay. Bidding for the scene of some rural buildings near her native town of Borja started vigorously, with nine bids over the first four hours pushing the price up from a starting €300 (£240) to more than €400. |
| The money will not go to Gímenez herself but to the Roman Catholic charity Caritas. The picture has been put up for sale by the charity's branch in nearby Zaragoza after the church-owned Cope radio station persuaded her to donate the painting as part of its Christmas charity fundraising drive. | The money will not go to Gímenez herself but to the Roman Catholic charity Caritas. The picture has been put up for sale by the charity's branch in nearby Zaragoza after the church-owned Cope radio station persuaded her to donate the painting as part of its Christmas charity fundraising drive. |
| Gímenez, having at first hidden away from journalists, is now beginning to exploit her popularity. The Neox television channel has announced that she is to appear on one of their new year celebration shows later this month. | Gímenez, having at first hidden away from journalists, is now beginning to exploit her popularity. The Neox television channel has announced that she is to appear on one of their new year celebration shows later this month. |
| The Santuario de Misericordia church that houses the Ecce Homo has also cashed in on the painting's new popularity and has started charging visitors – raising €2,000 in the first week. | The Santuario de Misericordia church that houses the Ecce Homo has also cashed in on the painting's new popularity and has started charging visitors – raising €2,000 in the first week. |
| Some fortune-seeking Spaniards who have bought tickets for the country's famous Christmas lottery, El Gordo or The Fat One, hope that Gímenez's magic will rub off on them too. They have already snapped up all tickets bearing the numbers that match the date on which the Ecce Homo restoration was revealed to the world this August: 21812. | Some fortune-seeking Spaniards who have bought tickets for the country's famous Christmas lottery, El Gordo or The Fat One, hope that Gímenez's magic will rub off on them too. They have already snapped up all tickets bearing the numbers that match the date on which the Ecce Homo restoration was revealed to the world this August: 21812. |
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