"Is This a Joke?" Stunned Winner Scores Picasso Original Worth 1.7 Billion Won With 100-Euro Ticket

A lucky individual has acquired an original work by the world-renowned master Pablo Picasso with just a single 100-euro (approximately 170,000 won) ticket.

According to foreign media outlets such as the BBC on April 14 (local time), Ari Hodara, a 58-year-old engineer living in Paris, France, became the new owner of Picasso's 1941 work "Tete de Femme" (Woman's Head) through a lottery draw.

The winning notification was delivered via video call through the Christie auction house, and the winning piece is a portrait in the gouache technique modeled after Dora Maar, the surrealist painter who was Picasso's lover and muse. Photo by Associated Press

원본보기 아이콘

The winning notification was delivered via video call through the Christie auction house, and Hodara reportedly responded with disbelief, asking, "How can I be sure this isn't a joke?" He happened to learn about the event over the weekend and purchased a ticket, with the winning number being 94,715. He commented, "No one really expects to win these kinds of draws," but added, "I'm very happy because I am always interested in art."

The winning piece is a portrait in the gouache technique modeled after Dora Maar, the surrealist painter who was Picasso's lover and muse. The market value is reportedly over 1 million euros (approximately 1.7 billion won). The event was a charity project organized by the France Alzheimer Research Foundation, with tickets sold for 100 euros each. More than 120,000 tickets were sold in dozens of countries worldwide, raising a total of 11 million euros (approximately 1.91 billion won). Of this amount, 1 million euros will be paid to Opera Gallery, the owner of the artwork, and the remaining proceeds will be used to support Alzheimer's research.

Perry Cochin, the French journalist who organized the event, said, "It became much easier to deliver the piece since the winner is a Paris resident," and also pointed out that Paris is the city where Picasso spent most of his life. This is the third time that this type of lottery for masterpieces has been held. In the past, proceeds have been used for cultural heritage preservation and COVID-19 relief efforts. This new approach, which gives the public the chance to own expensive artwork for a relatively small amount while simultaneously encouraging donations, is drawing significant attention.

© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.