When it’s starting to feel like nothing could surprise us anymore, someone always pulls it off by doing another one of those awful art restorations. At this point, I refuse to believe that they’re not, in fact, doing all of this on purpose. Recently, a new botched art restoration appeared on a 20th-century building in the city of Palencia, Spain. The restored statue used to depict a smiling woman, and now, according to some people, it looks more like a person with a “potato head.”

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    The botched restoration started gaining a lot of attention after a local artist posted some photos capturing it on Facebook

    Statue from 1923 under restoration showing detailed stone carvings on a building facade with figurative sculptures.

    Image credits: Antonio Capel Artista

    Side-by-side comparison of a 1923 statue before and after restoration showing weathered damage and repair details.

    Image credits: Antonio Capel Artista

    “I’m sure whoever did it got paid for it,” the artist wrote in his Facebook post. “But the bigger crime was committed by the person who commissioned it and then tried to carry on as though nothing was wrong.”

    Some say the statue now looks like a person with a “potato head”

    Close-up of a 1923 statue with a poorly restored face during building restoration work.

    Image credits: Antonio Capel Artista

    Botched restorations are nothing new—the internet has already seen plenty of them. You may recall one of the most well-known works that is often referred to as “Monkey Christ.” The restoration was performed back in 2012 in Borja, Spain, but for some reason, it’s still cracking people up.

    Probably the most famous botched art restoration is this one, also known as “Monkey Christ”

    Restoration stages of a 1923 statue showing damage from a failed not my job attempt during preservation work.

    Image credits: cea +

    Another famous attempt to restore an art piece also happened in Spain, and this time, someone tried to “rehabilitate” a 500-year-old sculpture of St. George.

    Some thought that the attempt to restore a 500-year-old sculpture of St. George made him look more like Tintin

    Side-by-side comparison of a 1923 statue before and after restoration showing a knight's head with altered facial features.

    Image credits: ArtUs Restauración Patrimonio

    And let’s not forget about this one from Colombia that happened back in 2018. Apparently, a wooden statue of San Antonio de Padua needed a restoration since the colors were almost faded out. After the attempt to restore it, San Antonio looked as if he was wearing makeup.

    After this attempt, San Antonio and baby Jesus looked almost as if they were wearing makeup

    Close-up views of a 1923 statue during restoration showing detailed facial features with some restoration flaws apparent.

    Image credits: Juan Duque / Arte y restauración

    Another well-known art restoration fail was of the 15th-century wooden statue depicting the Virgin and Child with St Anne. Apparently, the statue had already been restored 15 years earlier, but a local resident obtained permission from the priest to freshen it up a bit. “They’ve used the kind of industrial enamel paint they sell for painting anything and absolutely garish and absurd colors,” a visitor of the shrine told the Guardian. “The result is just staggering. You don’t know whether to laugh or cry.”

    “You don’t know whether to laugh or cry”

    Side-by-side images of a 1923 statue before and after restoration, showing repainting and detail changes on the figures.

    Here’s what people on Facebook are saying about the most recent restoration fail

    Comment by Khachig Arakel about having plastic surgery in Mexico for low prices, with laughing reaction and 325 likes.

    Comment by Dakota Jones questioning the quality of a restoration on a 1923 statue with many reactions on social media.

    Comment from Eva Sousa expressing skepticism about accidental mistakes during many 1923 statue restorations.

    Comment from Ramon Chavez Rosal joking about becoming a restoration worker for a 1923 statue during its restoration.

    Comment by Will Huntington Gonzales joking about the restoration of a 1923 statue, referencing Mr. Bean.

    Comment by Lusceac Sorin questioning how the sculptor landed the job during restoration of 1923 statue with top fan badge.

    Comment by Austin Sisk expressing disbelief about the 1923 statue restoration and its sculpting quality compared to modern tools.

    What do you think about the attempt to restore the sculpture decorating a 20th-century building in the city of Palencia? Tell us down in the comments!