Man wins €1m Picasso painting in €100 charity raffle

Lead

A Parisian software engineer has become the owner of an original Pablo Picasso painting worth more than €1 million (£870,000; $1.2 million), after winning a charity raffle that raised funds for Alzheimer's disease research.

Ari Hodara, 58, was selected at random from more than 120,000 ticket-buyers in a draw livestreamed from Christie's auction house in Paris on Tuesday. Organisers said the raffle, the third edition of the "1 Picasso for 100 euros" initiative, sold all available tickets at €100 each.

Coverage comparison

Initial reports from ABC Australia, BBC World, and France 24 were largely consistent in their description of the event. All three outlets identified Hodara as the winner, noted the raffle's purpose of funding Alzheimer's research, and described the prize as a gouache-on-paper portrait of Dora Maar, one of Picasso's muses, painted in 1941.

The BBC highlighted the human-interest angle, quoting Hodara's surprise and his remark that "when you bet on this, you don't expect to win." France 24, which carried a report from AFP, focused on the charity aspect and included a strong appeal from the head of the Alzheimer's Research Foundation, Olivier de Ladoucette, who described the funding for research as "ridiculous" and called the raffle "one more building block" in the fight against the disease.

ABC Australia's report was more straightforward, emphasising the logistics and the winner's background.

Key claims

Winner and prize

All three sources confirmed that Ari Hodara, a 58-year-old from Paris with an interest in art, won the painting titled "Tête de Femme" (Head of a Woman). The work, a 1941 gouache-on-paper portrait, was described by Picasso's grandson Olivier Widmaier Picasso as reflecting the sombre mood of the era while also suggesting hope.

Hodara, who said he bought his ticket over the weekend after learning about the raffle by chance, told auctioneers on a video call: "How do I know this isn't a prank?" He added that he was "very happy" because he was "very interested in painting."

Ticket sales and proceeds

Reports agreed that more than 120,000 tickets were sold at €100 each, with buyers from 52 countries. However, the total amount raised was reported differently: the BBC said the raffle raised "around €11m," while France 24 reported "€12 million." This discrepancy appears to stem from how the figures are calculated—whether the €1 million designated for the painting's owner, Opera Gallery, is included in the total.

A claim that €1 million of the proceeds would go to Opera Gallery, the painting's current owner, was reported only by ABC Australia, though it aligns with the BBC's figure of approximately €11 million for research after that payment. France 24 stated that the €12 million raised would be donated to the Alzheimer's Research Foundation, but did not mention the €1 million payment to the gallery—a detail that may or may not have been included in its report.

Charity and purpose

The raffle was organised by French journalist Peri Cochin with backing from Picasso's family and foundation. Proceeds fund research into Alzheimer's disease through France's Fondation Recherche Alzheimer, a leading funder of research into the neurodegenerative condition.

This was the third edition of the "1 Picasso for 100 euros" raffle, which was founded in 2013. Previous winners included a 25-year-old American in 2013 and an Italian accountant in 2020.

Perspectives

The winner

Hodara expressed surprise and delight, telling organisers that he planned to keep the painting: "At first, I think I'll take advantage of it and keep it." He also said he would share the news with his wife, who had not yet returned from work.

The organisers

Peri Cochin, the raffle's organiser, said it was "a great thing" that the winner lived in Paris, as it made the delivery of the painting "very easy." She noted that the city was also where Picasso himself lived and worked for much of his life.

The charity

Olivier de Ladoucette, head of the Alzheimer's Research Foundation, said the funding for research into the disease was "ridiculous" in developed societies. He called for greater public involvement and described the Picasso initiative as a positive step toward making Alzheimer's "nothing more than a bad memory."