The disastrous “restoration” of the Ecce Homo, shown above, went viral in 2012. Kaushik wrote about the surprisingly positive aftermath:

• The 1930 painting was thought to be of “little artistic importance” which is probably why an 83-year-old amateur was allowed to fix it when it started flaking.
• The global reaction to the effort sent the artist into depression.
• Since then however the town that hosts it has become a tourist hotspot. Travelers from around the world stop to look at, and take photos with, the mess of a portrait.
• A comic opera about the painting’s story is in the works.
• Sales of “ironic” merchandise such as mugs, wines, and posters depicting the botched repair job, have saved a town that was dealing with an economic crisis before the notoriety.
• Having risen from the depths of depression, the artist that made the fateful decision to restore the painting is owed 49% of the money from souvenir sales.

Read more on Amusing Planet.