With proper maintenance, this could have all been avoided

Much has been written about the eldery Spanish woman who, distressed by the condition of a 19th century fresco in her local church in Borja near Zaragosa, repainted it with the knowledge of her local clergy (The New York Times, August 24, 2012, “Despite Good Intentions, A Fresco in Spain is Ruined“, by Raphael Minder).
It is not clear whether there would have been such an uproar if the decendants of the artist had not recently proposed making a donation for its upkeep, bringing the repainting to wider attention. This incident highlights both the need for widespread public education about how conservation should be carried out and the necessity for institutions which are guardians of works of art to have continually replenished maintenance funds.