A lucky art enthusiast in Paris was ecstatic to discover that he had won a Pablo Picasso painting valued at over $1 million in a raffle on Tuesday. Ari Hodara, a 58-year-old sales engineer, expressed disbelief and questioned the authenticity of the win when organizers contacted him after the draw at Christie’s auction house in Paris.
Hodara, who described himself as an amateur art lover with a particular fondness for Picasso, purchased his raffle ticket on a whim during a meal at a restaurant over the weekend. He plans to share the news with his wife upon her return from work and intends to cherish and keep the artwork for the time being.
The painting in question, Picasso’s Head of a Woman, a portrait of the artist’s muse Dora Maar, created in 1941, was the centerpiece of the “1 Picasso for 100 euros” lottery. The online draw aimed to raise funds for Alzheimer’s research, with each 100 euro ticket translating to approximately $162.
All 120,000 tickets for the raffle were sold globally, generating 12 million euros ($19.5 million) in revenue. One million euros will be allocated to the Opera Gallery, an international art dealer that owned the painting. Gilles Dyan, the gallery’s founder, disclosed that the painting had a public price tag of 1.45 million euros ($2.35 million).
This event marked the third edition of the Picasso raffle, following successful fundraisers that raised over 10 million euros for various charitable causes. The Alzheimer Research Foundation, the driving force behind the raffle, has been a leading private supporter of Alzheimer’s research in France since its establishment in 2004.