Elías García Martínez

Born in 1858 in Requena, Spain, he began his artistic career in his hometown.¹

From 1894 until his retirement in 1929, he served as an assistant professor of ornamental drawing and portrait painting in Zaragoza.¹

Around 1930, he painted the 'Ecce Homo' fresco depicting Christ at the Sanctuary of Mercy in Borja.¹

He died in Utiel, Spain, in 1934 at age 76; his name gained unexpected renewed attention nearly 80 years after his death.¹

The failed restoration gained ironic international fame as the 'worst restoration in history,' bringing global attention to the artist's name.¹

In 2012, an elderly local woman attempted to restore his humidity-damaged fresco in good faith, resulting in a drastic unintended transformation.¹