The painter who accidentally created “Monkey Jesus” has died at 94, and the internet is paying tribute

Amateur artist Cecilia Giménez, who became a meme legend after her failed restoration of a century-old painting of Jesus, has died at the age of 94.

Even if you don’t recognize Giménez’s name, anyone who spends time on the internet will recognize her work—specifically, the single botched restoration she made back in 2012 that’s still infamous today.

Ecce Homo, a painting of Jesus by Elías García Martínez, had gradually deteriorated while hanging on the wall at Sanctuary of Mercy, a church in Borja, Spain, where Giménez was a parishioner. According to Giménez, a priest gave her permission to attempt a restoration and she worked on it for a little while before going on vacation.

While she was gone, images of the attempt spread—first locally, and then across the internet.

There was initially somewhat of an uproar about the desecration of the work, but it ultimately became completely iconic. The BBC reports that Giménez’s work turned Borja into a tourist destination, while The Guardian noted the money that’s come into the village due to the painting’s notoriety has helped fund a local care home.

Tributes to a meme legend

In the years since Ecce Homo was transformed, the image has remained well known, taking on loving nicknames such as “Monkey Jesus” and “Potato Jesus,” and ensuring Giménez herself a place in meme history.

“RIP Cecilia Giménez. She’s with monkey Jesus now,” wrote Peter Hague.

“Things that AI will never replicate moment,” quipped @lesbianeo.

“RIP. Nobody has ever made me laugh more.”

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