A 58-year-old engineer from Paris, Ari Hodara, won a Picasso painting with a raffle ticket. He bought the ticket on a whim. A few days later, he learned he had won.
The painting is Head of a Woman, created in 1941. It's a portrait of Dora Maar, who was Picasso's lover and muse. Maar was also an artist herself.
A Raffle for a Cause
Before Hodara won it, the painting belonged to Opera Gallery. This gallery has locations in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and the U.S. The gallery sold 120,000 tickets for 100 euros each, which is about $110. Art lovers worldwide bought these tickets.
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Start Your News DetoxThe first 1 million euros (about $1.2 million) from ticket sales went to Opera Gallery. The rest of the money was given to the Fondation Recherche Alzheimer, a French charity.
The raffle is called "1 Picasso for 100 Euros." Péri Cochin, a French journalist, started this charitable event in 2013.
Past Winners and Impact
The first raffle was won by Jeffrey Gonano, a 25-year-old from Pittsburgh. He won L’Homme au Gibus (1914), also a gouache on paper. That raffle raised about $5.7 million. This money helped build a handicraft village in Tyre, Lebanon.
The second raffle offered a Picasso oil painting, Nature Morte (1921). A young Italian man won it, thanks to a Christmas gift from his mother. This event raised $6 million. The funds were used for wells and sanitation in Cameroon, Madagascar, and Morocco.
Picasso's Legacy of Generosity
Péri Cochin and Olivier Widmaier Picasso, Picasso's grandson, are long-time friends. Olivier helps manage his grandfather's estate. He believes Picasso would have approved of these raffles.
Olivier told NPR that Picasso was a very generous man. He often helped his family, friends, and people in need. Olivier feels that partnering with the raffle continues Picasso's generous spirit.
