By Elissa Darwish PARIS, April 14 (Reuters) - A Frenchman won a Picasso painting worth 1 million euros ($1.18 million) in a non-profit raffle on Tuesday. The winner, Ari Hodara, a 59-year-old software
Frenchman Wins €1 Million Picasso in Paris Raffle Supporting Alzheimer’s Research
By Elissa Darwish
Picasso Raffle Raises Millions for Alzheimer’s Research
PARIS, April 14 (Reuters) - A Frenchman won a Picasso painting worth 1 million euros ($1.18 million) in a non-profit raffle on Tuesday.
The Winner and the Prize
The winner, Ari Hodara, a 59-year-old software engineer from Paris, was selected at random at Christie's auction house in Paris from 120,000 tickets sold at 100 euros apiece. The raffle's proceeds will fund Alzheimer's disease research.
Reaction from the Winner
"I was surprised, that's it," Hodara said during a phone call with organisers shortly after the draw. "When you bet on this, you don't expect to win.”
About the Raffle
Launched in 2013, the "1 Picasso for 100 euros" raffle aims to support charities by giving participants a chance to win an original work by the famed Spanish artist. This was the third edition.
This Year’s Painting: "Tête de Femme"
This year's prize was "Tête de Femme" (Head of a Woman), a gouache-on-paper portrait painted by Pablo Picasso in 1941.
Rendered in his signature style, the grey, white and cream composition reflects the sombre mood of the era while also suggesting hope, Picasso's grandson Olivier Widmaier Picasso has said.
Ticket Sales and Fund Allocation
For the first time in the raffle's history, all 120,000 tickets were sold, organisers said. One million euros from the sales will go to international gallery chain Opera Gallery, the painting’s current owner, they said.
The remaining proceeds of approximately 11 million euros will be donated to France's Fondation Recherche Alzheimer, a leading funder of research into the neurodegenerative disease.
Previous Editions of the Picasso Raffle
First Edition (2013)
The raffle's first edition in 2013 raised 4.8 million euros and awarded Picasso’s "The Man in the Opera Hat" to then 25-year-old American Jeffrey Gonano. Proceeds went to the preservation of the Lebanese city of Tyre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Second Edition (2020)
For the second edition, in 2020, an Italian woman won Picasso's still life "Nature Morte" with a ticket she had received as a Christmas gift from her son. Proceeds were donated to sanitation projects in schools and villages in Cameroon, Madagascar and Morocco.
Additional Information
($1 = 0.8474 euros)
(Reporting by Elissa Darwish; Editing by Ingrid Melander, Inti Landauro and David Gaffen)
