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Cecilia Giménez, Painter Behind Borja’s Viral ‘Ecce Homo,’ Dies in Spain

Her 2012 repainting turned a little-known mural into a steady tourist draw funding local care services.

Overview

  • The Santuario de la Misericordia announced her death on its Instagram account, and Borja mayor Eduardo Arilla confirmed it.
  • She died in the Hospital Sancti Spiritus care residence in Borja, where she lived with her son.
  • Most reports list her age as 94, though at least one outlet reported 93, creating a minor discrepancy.
  • Her reworking of Elías García Martínez’s Ecce Homo drew roughly 10,000 visitors a year and channeled revenues to local charitable institutions.
  • Initial reactions labeled the intervention a botched, possibly unauthorized act, yet it later inspired exhibitions and cultural projects that cemented Borja’s profile.