A French sales engineer became the lucky winner of a painting by the world-famous artist Pablo Picasso valued at over 1 million US dollars (about 32 million baht) after purchasing a charity raffle ticket for only 100 euros (around 3,770 baht). All proceeds from this raffle will go to support Alzheimer's disease research.
Ari Hodara, a 58-year-old art enthusiast, could hardly contain his excitement upon learning that he had won the grand prize in the raffle at Christie's auction house in Paris on Tuesday, 14 Apr 2024 GMT+7. The prize he received was a Pablo Picasso painting valued at 1 million US dollars (approximately 32 million baht), won by buying a raffle ticket costing just 100 euros or about 3,770 baht.
Hodara expressed his feelings after hearing the news: "How can I be sure this isn't a joke?" He went on to say he is just an ordinary art lover who decided to buy the ticket during dinner at a restaurant over the past weekend after accidentally learning about the raffle. "The first thing I'll do is tell my wife, and of course, I intend to keep the painting for myself to enjoy."
The artwork featured in the raffle is titled "Head of a Woman," a portrait of Dora Maar, Picasso's muse and lover. It is a gouache painting on paper created in 1941.
This third raffle project, named "1 Picasso for 100 euros," sold a total of 120,000 tickets worldwide, raising 12 million euros (approximately 452 million baht). Part of the proceeds will be given to Opera Gallery, the painting's original owner, which sold it at a special price of 1 million euros instead of the usual estimated 1.45 million euros. All remaining profits will be donated to the Alzheimer's research foundation in Paris to support medical research.
This type of charity event has been held twice before. The first in 2013, when the winner was a man from Pennsylvania, USA, and the second in 2020, awarded to a female accountant from Italy. Previously, proceeds from the raffles helped support cultural work in Lebanon as well as drinking water and sanitation projects in Africa.
The Alzheimer's research foundation stated that since its establishment in 2004, it has become the largest private organization in France continuously funding research related to Alzheimer's disease.