Frenchman wins Picasso painting worth 1 million euros - Lottery held in Paris. Proceeds to go to Alzheimer's research
A Frenchman has won a Picasso painting worth 1 million euros in a non-profit lottery. The winner, Ari Hodara, a 59-year-old software engineer from Paris, was chosen at random at Christie's auction house in Paris from 120,000 tickets sold at 100 euros each. The proceeds from the lottery will fund research into Alzheimer's disease.
"I was surprised, that's all," Hodara said during a phone call with organizers shortly after the draw. "When you bet on this, you don't expect to win."
Launched in 2013, the "1 Picasso for 100 Euros" lottery aims to support charities by giving participants a chance to win an original work by the famous Spanish artist. This was the third edition.
This year's prize was "Tête de Femme" (Head of a Woman), a gouache portrait on paper painted by Pablo Picasso in 1941. Executed in his characteristic style, the gray, white, and cream composition reflects the somber atmosphere of the era, while also suggesting hope.
For the first time in the lottery's history, all 120,000 tickets were sold, organizers said. One million euros from the sales will go to the international gallery chain Opera Gallery, the current owner of the painting, they said.
The remaining proceeds of approximately 11 million euros will be donated to the French Alzheimer's Research Foundation, a major funder of research into the neurodegenerative disease.
The first edition of the lottery in 2013 raised 4.8 million euros and Picasso's "Man with the Opera Hat" was awarded to then-25-year-old American Jeffrey Gonano. The proceeds went to the preservation of the Lebanese city of Tyre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
For the second edition, in 2020, an Italian woman won Picasso's still life painting "Nature Morte" with a ticket she had received as a Christmas present from her son. The proceeds were donated to sanitation projects in schools and villages in Cameroon, Madagascar and Morocco.
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