Ari Hodara, a 58-year-old sales engineer from Paris, was going about his Tuesday when he received a phone call that changed everything. The organisers of a charity raffle were calling to tell him he had won the grand prize: a Pablo Picasso painting valued at one million dollars. His ticket had cost him 100 euros, roughly $118.
He reportedly could not believe it.
What Is the Painting?
The painting is called “Head of a Woman,” a gouache-on-paper portrait painted by Picasso in 1941. It depicts Dora Maar, Picasso’s longtime partner and muse, who was herself a celebrated photographer and artist. The work was put up as the prize in a charity raffle organised to raise money for Alzheimer’s research.
Did You Know?
Pablo Picasso was a Spanish artist born in 1881 who became one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. He co-created the revolutionary art movement known as Cubism, which broke objects and figures into geometric shapes. At the time of his death in 1973, Picasso had created approximately 20,000 works of art. His painting “Les Femmes d’Alger” sold for $179 million at auction in 2015, making it one of the most expensive artworks ever sold.
The Numbers Behind the Draw
- 120,000 raffle tickets were sold worldwide
- Each ticket cost 100 euros (about $118)
- Total raised: 12 million euros (about $14 million) for Alzheimer’s research
- The winning draw took place at Christie’s auction house in Paris
- Ari Hodara was one of 120,000 people who entered
One ticket. One phone call. One million dollars.
Photo: Pablo Picasso’s “Head of a Woman” (1941), a colourful gouache portrait of Dora Maar with angular, Cubist-style features against a vivid background, displayed in a gallery setting. Photo credit: Christie’s Paris / NBC News
