The Most Botched Art Restorations In History

Art restoration is an important activity to preserve historical heritage, culture, and legacy for our future generations.

There is no particular technique and fit-formula to restore an art form but trained art historians, chemists, and material scientists use extensive knowledge to assess art and use methods to minimally alter the original form.

This article is about the most botched art restorations that have taken place around the world.

What are art restoration and conservation?

Art restoration is the process of renovation or repair of art forms like legacy paintings, sculptures, or frescoes without altering their originality. On the other hand, conservation is the preservation to protect them from future damage and decay.

An art restorer or conservator uses various techniques and methods to determine the best process for art restoration. Some of the methods are -

1. Take an x-ray of the painting to find how the art was composed.

2. Infrared imaging to determine the losses of paint underneath the painting.

3. The use of spectroscopy to find the exact composition details and identify the varnishing layers.

The value of art is also directly proportional to art restoration. The main objective of art restoration is to preserve the legacy of art and the authenticity of the artist who created it.

The most botched art restorations

1. The Virgin and Child with St. Anne by Leonardo da Vinci

The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne painted by Leonardo da Vinci in 1503 is an oil painting depicting St. Anne, her daughter Virgin Mary and infant Jesus.

This painting was caught in the restoration controversy in December 2011. The objective was to remove the dirt and the discoloration from the painting but the colors were made so dramatic that the critics accused the restorers of making it brighter than the artists ever intended.

2. Ecce Homo by Elías García Martínez

The Ecce Homo (Behold the Man) was a fresco painted circa 1930 by a Spanish painter Elías García Martínez depicting Jesus crowned with thorns.

This fresco was artistically unique but became one of the worst art restorations.

At first, the church authorities thought that the art had been vandalized but later came to know that the alterations were made by an elderly parishioner. The painting was disfigured and all the work became a meme as Ecce Meme.

The failed restoration news spread like a wildfire on the internet and was heavily criticized by the conservators.

3. The Immaculate Conception of Los Venerables by Murillo

The Immaculate Conception of Los Venerables by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo was painted in the 17th century.

The face of the Virgin Mary was disfigured in a copy of the painting. And, this painting too came in the list of botched restoration artworks. The conservation experts of Spain condemned another art disaster.

The face of the Virgin Mary. Before and after. Two attempts of restoring the copy.

4. The wooden effigy of St. George

Another religious artifact that suffered terrible art restoration - A 16th-century polychrome statue of St. George in the town of Estella. The effigy was disfigured with a cheeky face, badly painted eyes and it became unrecognizable.

Fortunately, the Church spent money and it was restored back to its normal state.

Last thoughts

There is no denying the fact that the preservation of art reflects our cultural heritage. And so, art restoration and conservation should involve a decent investment, skilled art scientists, and advanced technologies to avoid the art blunders as much as possible.

Operation night watch is considered to be the largest and most researched art conservation project for the painting The Night Watch by Rembrandt van Rijn.