Lucky €100 Ticket Snags €1M Picasso in Charity Raffle Surprise!

Ari Hodara, a 58-year-old engineer and art lover, has become the proud owner of a valuable Pablo Picasso painting after winning a charity raffle. The raffle, called '1 Picasso for 100 euros,' gave people from all over the world a chance to win an original Picasso artwork by buying a ticket for 100 euros. More than 120,000 tickets were sold, raising about 11 million euros in total. The money will mostly go to Alzheimer's research, with a portion going to the Opera Gallery, which owned the painting.

Ari found out he was the winner during a video call from Christie's auction house in Paris. At first, he was surprised and even asked if it was a joke. But it was real—he had won 'Tête de Femme,' a painting Picasso made in 1941. The painting is worth over one million euros and shows Dora Maar, Picasso's partner and muse. Ari said he bought his ticket just by chance after hearing about the raffle over the weekend. He never expected to win but was thrilled because he is very interested in art.

The raffle was organized by French journalist Peri Cochin, with support from Picasso's family and foundation. She was happy that the winner lived in Paris, making it easier to deliver the painting. Paris is also where Picasso lived and created many of his famous works. The '1 Picasso for 100 euros' raffle has happened twice before. In 2013, an American won, and the money helped protect a city in Lebanon. In 2020, an Italian woman won, and the funds went to help schools and villages in Africa. This year, the money will help fight Alzheimer's disease. The head of France's Alzheimer's Research Foundation said that this project is another step toward making Alzheimer's just a bad memory. Ari is now the owner of a famous painting, and the raffle has helped raise money for important causes around the world.