culture
April 15, 2026
'Is it a joke?': The winner of a $1.2 million Picasso after buying a $118 ticket
It all started as a weekend coincidence for Ari Hodara, a 58-year-old business engineer living in the 11th arrondissement of Paris. After accidentally learning about a charity initiative through a television program, he decided to try his luck and bought ticket number 94,715 for just $118; in Colombian pesos, this is equivalent to approximately $430,000.
TL;DR
- Ari Hodara, a 58-year-old engineer from Paris, won a Picasso painting valued at $1.2 million.
- He purchased a raffle ticket for $118 as part of a charity initiative.
- The winning artwork is titled 'Head of a Woman' (Tête de femme), a 1941 gouache portrait of Dora Maar.
- Hodara was initially skeptical about the win but is now very happy and plans to keep the painting.
- This raffle, 'A Picasso for 100 euros,' has previously raised over 10 million euros for charity projects in Africa and Lebanon.