In brief
Ari Hodara, a 58-year-old engineer, won an original Picasso painting worth more than €1 million in a charity raffle aimed at supporting Alzheimer's research. The raffle drew over 120,000 ticket buyers from around the globe and raised approximately €11 million for the cause. Hodara expressed surprise and joy at his unexpected win, which he discovered via a video call from Christie's auction house.
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, depicting his partner and muse, the French surrealist artist Dora Maar.I was surprised, that's it, said Hodara. 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 said it was a great thing that the winner lived in Paris, despite tickets being sold in dozens of countries worldwide, which simplifies the delivery of the painting.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, said Olivier de Ladoucette, head of the foundation.The first edition of the raffle was won by a 25-year-old American from Pennsylvania in 2013, with funds raised to help preserve the Lebanese city of Tyre - a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A 58-year-old Italian accountant won the second edition in 2020, after her son bought her a ticket for Christmas. Proceeds were donated to sanitation projects in schools and villages in Cameroon, Madagascar, and Morocco.
