PARIS, April 15, 2026
A Parisian art enthusiast has won a Pablo Picasso painting valued at $1 million with a $117 raffle ticket in a charity lottery that raised €12 million for cultural and humanitarian causes.
## The Winning Moment The lucky winner, whose identity has not been disclosed, secured the 1941 Picasso masterpiece *Head of a Woman*, a portrait of the artist’s longtime muse and partner, Dora Maar. The raffle, titled "1 Picasso for €100," was organized to support cultural initiatives in Lebanon and water and hygiene programs in Africa.
The winner’s reaction echoed that of previous raffle victors, including Ari Hodara, a Pennsylvania fire-sprinkler business employee who won the first edition in 2013. Hodara had initially doubted his windfall, asking, *"How do I check that it's not a hoax?"* after being notified. The 2013 prize, *Man in the Opera Hat*, was part of a similar effort to fund cultural projects in Lebanon.
## A History of Picasso Raffles This marks the third successful Picasso raffle organized by the Opera Gallery, founded by Gilles Dyan. The gallery offered the painting at a preferential price of €1 million, significantly below its public valuation of €1.45 million. The initiative has proven highly effective, with the two previous editions raising over €10 million combined.
In 2020, Italian accountant Claudia Borgogno won the oil-on-canvas *Still Life* after her son gifted her a ticket as a Christmas present. Like the latest winner, Borgogno’s prize was part of a broader effort to channel funds toward humanitarian causes.
The 2026 raffle’s proceeds will continue this legacy, with €1 million allocated to the Opera Gallery and the remainder directed to cultural and hygiene programs. The gallery’s founder, Gilles Dyan, emphasized the dual benefit of the initiative: supporting art accessibility while funding critical global projects.
## The Art and Its Legacy *Head of a Woman* is a significant work from Picasso’s oeuvre, created during his relationship with Dora Maar, who was both his lover and a frequent subject of his portraits. The 1941 painting captures Maar’s distinctive features in Picasso’s signature Cubist style, blending abstraction with emotional depth.
The raffle’s success highlights a growing trend of using high-value art to democratize ownership while supporting charitable causes. By offering tickets at a fraction of the artwork’s market price, the Opera Gallery has attracted thousands of participants, each contributing to humanitarian efforts while vying for a chance to own a Picasso.
The latest winner joins a small but notable group of individuals who have acquired priceless art through unconventional means, proving that masterpieces can sometimes be won—not just bought.