Imagine turning a modest 100-euro gamble into a million-dollar masterpiece. That is exactly what happened to Ari Hodara, a 58-year-old engineer and art enthusiast from Paris, who recently became the owner of an original Pablo Picasso painting after winning a high-stakes charity raffle.
The winning ticket, number 94,715, secured the artwork valued at US$1.2 million (over one million euros). The piece, titled “Tête de femme” (Head of a Woman), is a gouache on paper created in 1941. It depicts Picasso’s muse and partner at the time, the French surrealist artist and photographer Dora Maar.
The shock of the win hit Hodara on Tuesday, April 15, 2026, via a video call from Christie’s auction house in Paris. His initial reaction was one of pure disbelief. “¿Cómo sé que no es una broma?” (“How do I grasp this isn’t a joke?”), he asked upon learning he was the new owner of the historic work.
The raffle, titled “Un Picasso por 100 euros” (A Picasso for 100 euros), was the third edition of the charitable event, which first launched in 2013. To enter, participants paid approximately 100 euros (US$118) per ticket. With more than 120,000 tickets sold globally, the initiative successfully raised around 11 million to 12 million euros (approximately US$13 million) to fund Alzheimer’s research through the Alzheimer’s Research Foundation.
Hodara, a resident of Paris’s 11th district, revealed that he stumbled upon the contest by chance and purchased his ticket over a weekend after seeing the initiative on a television program. “Me sorprendió, eso es todo,” he told auctioneers during a follow-up call. “Cuando apuestas a esto, no esperas ganar (…) Pero estoy muy contento porque me interesa mucho la pintura, y es una gran noticia para mí” (“I was surprised, that’s all. When you bet on this, you don’t expect to win… But I am very happy because I am very interested in painting, and This proves great news for me”).
As for the new home of the 1941 masterpiece, Hodara has already decided on the perfect spot: his living room. The event, which concluded with a live social media broadcast and a notary present at Christie’s, highlights the enduring global appeal of Picasso’s work and the power of creative fundraising for medical research.
