Remember Monkey Jesus? The handiwork of Spanish pensioner Cecilia Gimenez, the botched restoration appeared everywhere from Saturday Night Live to the New York Times. It also resulted in the authorities in Borja considering legal action against the talentless artist.
Thanks to the global publicity, Monkey Jesus became a bona fide tourist attraction, drawing 57,000 people in its first year. Owners of the church housing the painting charged each of them €1 for entry, dividing the profits evenly with Gimenez. The pensioner also got a large chunk of the merchandising rights, turning her once ill-fated painting into a money-spinner.
Even more impressively, Gimenez used the painting to launch her own semi-successful art career. A 2013 exhibition of two dozen paintings was overwhelmed with visitors, while 2014 saw her star in her own music video. The authorities of Borja now claim Gimenez saved their town’s economy. As for Monkey Jesus itself, the New York Times is now calling it a “profound pop art icon.†--
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