€1 Million Picasso Painting Won in Charity Raffle

Wed Apr 15 2026 20:38:20 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Ari Hodara, an engineer from Paris, wins an original Picasso valued over €1 million in a charity raffle supporting Alzheimer's research.

Ari Hodara won a rare Picasso painting worth over €1 million in a charity raffle, with more than 120,000 tickets sold. The funds raised, totaling approximately €11 million, will aid Alzheimer's research. The painting, 'Tête de Femme', was created in 1941 and depicts Picasso's muse, Dora Maar. Hodara's unexpected win highlights the charm and impact of fundraising events.

A man has won an original Pablo Picasso painting worth more than €1m (£870,000; $1.2m) in a charity raffle.

Ari Hodara, an engineer and art enthusiast, learned he was the winner on Tuesday when he answered a video call from Christie's auction house in Paris.

How do I know this isn't a prank? the 58-year-old asked when he was told he was the new owner of the 1941 work by the Spanish master.

Organisers said more than 120,000 tickets for the prize draw were sold at €100 (£87; $118) each, raising around €11m (£10m; $13m) for Alzheimer's research.

The draw was the third edition of the 1 Picasso for 100 euros fundraising raffle, which was founded in 2013.

This year's prize was Tête de Femme (Head of a Woman), a gouache-on-paper portrait rendered in Picasso's signature style. It depicts his partner and muse, the French surrealist artist Dora Maar.

I was surprised, that's it, said Hodara during a phone call with auctioneers after the draw. When you bet on this, you don't expect to win... But I'm very happy because I'm very interested in painting, and it's great news for me.

Hodara's ticket was number 94,715. He said he bought it over the weekend after learning about the competition by chance.

French journalist Peri Cochin organised the raffle with backing from Picasso's family and foundation. She expressed delight that the winner lived in Paris, stating, It's going to be very easy for us to deliver the painting, so we're happy.

The city is also where Picasso lived for much of his life, and thousands of his works are displayed in its museums.

Of the money raised, €1m is set to go to the Opera Gallery, the painting's owner, with the remaining funds donated to France's Alzheimer's Research Foundation.

This Picasso initiative is one more building block so that one day Alzheimer's will be nothing more than a bad memory, Olivier de Ladoucette, head of the foundation, said.

The first edition of the raffle was won in 2013 by a 25-year-old American, with proceeds aiding the preservation of the Lebanese city of Tyre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The second edition in 2020 was won by an Italian accountant, with funds benefitting sanitation projects in schools and villages in Cameroon, Madagascar, and Morocco.