PARIS – Are you feeling lucky? A raffle in France is offering the chance to win a portrait by Pablo Picasso for the price of a 100-euro ($117) ticket, with proceeds going to Alzheimer’s research.
The draw is set for Tuesday at Christie’s auction house in Paris, creating a buzz among art lovers and supporters of medical research alike.
The Exciting History of Picasso Raffles
This isn’t the first time Picasso’s works have been part of a raffle. The inaugural “1 Picasso for 100 euros” raffle took place in 2013, and a fire-sprinkler worker from Pennsylvania was the lucky winner of “Man in the Opera Hat,” a Cubist masterpiece created by Picasso in 1914.
In 2020, another Picasso artwork, the oil-on-canvas piece titled “Nature Morte,” was raffled off. This time, a delighted mom named Claudia Borgogno from Italy won the piece, thanks to a thoughtful Christmas gift from her son.
Supporting a Good Cause
The upcoming raffle features a gouache on paper called “Tête de Femme,” or “Head of a Woman,” painted by Picasso in 1941. The charity organizing the raffle, the Alzheimer Research Foundation, has been a significant private financier of Alzheimer-related medical research in France since its establishment in 2004.
With the ticket sales, the organizers are expecting a substantial amount to be raised. Christie’s confirms that the painting will be on display starting Monday at their galleries in Paris, leading up to the thrilling draw set for 6 p.m. on Tuesday.
How the Raffle Works
The raffle has a cap of 120,000 tickets, which means that if all tickets are sold, the event could raise a whopping 12 million euros ($14 million). Out of these funds, 1 million euros will go to the Opera Gallery, the international art dealership that owns the painting.
Previous Picasso raffles have successfully raised over 10 million euros for cultural initiatives in Lebanon and for water and hygiene programs in Africa.
Billionaire art collector David Nahmad, who sold “Nature Morte” for the raffle, believes that Picasso would have supported such initiatives, noting the artist’s generosity in sharing his work with a wide audience. “He wanted his art to be collected by all kinds of people, not only by the super-rich,” Nahmad said.
As the draw approaches, excitement builds not only for the chance to own a piece of art history but also to contribute to a meaningful cause. Whether you’re an art enthusiast or someone looking to make a difference, this raffle presents a unique opportunity.
