A French man wins a Picasso painting valued at 1 million euros in a 100-euro raffle

A French man who is an art fan won a painting by Pablo Picasso, valued at more than one million euros, this Tuesday by participating in a charity raffle for 100 euros, according to ‘The Guardian’.

Ari Hodara, name of the winner, participated in the third edition of the ‘1 Picasso for 100 euros’ initiative, organized by the Fondation Recherche Alzheimer. The draw was held in Paris at the Christie’s auction house and, according to the British media, the organizers had sold the 120,000 tickets on sale, raising 12 million euros that will go to Alzheimer’s research.

The draw offered the painting ‘Head of a Woman’, by Picasso that portrayed his then partner, the photographer Dora Maar. This work in gouache on paper was created in 1941.

“How can I check that it’s not a hoax?” asked Ari Hodara, 58, after organizers called him after the drawing at Christie’s auction house in the French capital. Hodara described himself as an art buff, a follower of Picasso, and said he had bought his ticket over the weekend after hearing about the charity raffle by chance while eating at a restaurant, according to ‘The Guardian’.