A Million-Euro Picasso Up for Grabs in €100 Charitable Raffle
A rare opportunity to own a masterpiece by Pablo Picasso is now available through a global non-profit raffle, with tickets priced at just 100 euros. The initiative, organized by France’s Fondation Recherche Alzheimer (FRA), aims to raise significant funds for the study and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.
The prize is a 1941 gouache on paper titled Tête de Femme, valued at 1 million euros. The artwork, which measures 38.9 x 25.4 cm (15.3 x 10 in), is provided by Opera Gallery, an international network established by Gilles Dyan in 1994. This high-profile raffle represents a strategic intersection of the fine art market and philanthropic funding, leveraging the high valuation of blue-chip art to drive charitable contributions.
According to the project’s organizers, the draw is scheduled for April 14, 2026, at 6:00 PM Paris time, taking place at Christie’s France. The raffle is being managed by French television producer Péri Cochin, with the goal of selling 120,000 tickets to generate approximately 11 million euros for research.
All proceeds from the ticket sales go directly to the Fondation Recherche Alzheimer, the leading organization in France dedicated to Alzheimer’s research. These funds will support the IPCAR-2030 (International Collaborative Project for Alzheimer Research), which intends to allocate budgets of 1 million euros or more over three years to eight separate projects linking French research teams with partners in North America and Europe. The need for such funding is critical, as Alzheimer’s affects over 35 million people worldwide, a figure expected to double every 20 years.
Olivier Picasso, the artist’s grandson, noted that the initiative aligns with his grandfather’s legacy, stating, “My grandfather was a generous man. He helped his family, particularly my grandmother. He also helped friends and people in need during the Spanish Civil War.” He expressed hope that the “1 Picasso for 100 Euros” project could turn into an annual event.
This marks the third time a Picasso work has been raffled for charity. Previous efforts include a 2013 raffle that raised 5 million euros for the International Association for the Safeguard of TYRE and a 2020 event that raised 5 million euros for the NGO CARE. The current work, Tête de Femme, previously fetched £102,700 at a Sotheby’s London sale in 1999.
Tickets are available exclusively through the official website 1picasso100euros.com.
