NEWS / Stock

A Man Just Won a $1 Million Picasso With a $117 Raffle Ticket

Published Apr 15, 2026

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Summary:

Ari Hodara, 58, won a Picasso painting worth $1 million after buying a $117 raffle ticket at a charity draw at Christie's in Paris.
The painting is "Head of a Woman" from 1941, a portrait of Picasso's partner Dora Maar.
All 120,000 tickets sold out worldwide, raising 12 million euros ($14 million) for

Alzheimer's research. A $117 bet on a raffle ticket just turned into a million-dollar Picasso. Ari Hodara, a 58-year-old Parisian art lover, won Pablo Picasso's "Head of a Woman" - a 1941 portrait of Picasso's long-time partner Dora Maar - after buying a single raffle ticket over the weekend. He found out about the charity draw by chance during a meal at a restaurant.

How It Worked

The online raffle, organized by the Alzheimer Research Foundation, sold all 120,000 tickets at 100 euros (about $117) each. The draw took place at Christie's auction house in Paris, raising 12 million euros - roughly $14 million - for Alzheimer's research. The foundation says it has become France's largest private funder of Alzheimer's-related medical research since it was founded in 2004.

Worth Noting

Hodara described himself as an "art amateur fond of Picasso" and learned about his win when organizers called after the draw. The painting was valued at roughly $1 million - making this one of the best returns on a raffle ticket in history.

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