The French Alzheimer's Research Foundation has launched an extraordinary charity initiative that allows art enthusiasts worldwide to own an authentic Picasso painting valued at over one million euros for just one hundred euros per ticket. The 1941 portrait, titled "Tête de femme," is being offered through a global raffle that aims to raise significant funds for Alzheimer's disease research. This unique project, named "1 Picasso for 100 Euros," represents the third time a work by the legendary Spanish artist has been used for charitable purposes in this manner. The drawing is scheduled to take place at Christie's auction house in Paris on April 14, with proceeds dedicated to combating one of the world's leading causes of death and disability.
The portrait captures a pivotal moment in Picasso's life and career, created in his Left Bank studio in Paris during the Nazi occupation. This was the same studio where he painted his masterpiece "Guernica" four years earlier, adding historical significance to the work. The painting reflects the dark circumstances of its creation, featuring a palette dominated by brown, black, and gray tones rather than the vibrant colors typically associated with Picasso's work. According to Olivier Picasso, the artist's grandson, the piece served as a personal memento for his grandfather during a complicated period marked by his unresolved divorce from first wife Olga Khokhlova and his relationship with Marie-Thérèse Walter.
Olivier Picasso has enthusiastically endorsed the raffle, viewing it as a natural extension of his grandfather's philanthropic spirit. "My grandfather was very generous, but he was also discreet," Olivier explained in an interview with The Guardian. "He helped his family, especially my grandmother Marie-Thérèse. He helped friends. He helped people in need during the civil war in Spain, during the second world war, and even after, in the 50s and 60s." The grandson expressed hope that this could become an annual event, continuing the artist's legacy of supporting worthy causes while making his work accessible to people beyond the wealthy elite.
The innovative fundraising concept originated with Péri Cochin, a French television producer and entrepreneur who owns the tableware company Waww La Table. Cochin was inspired by watching her mother organize raffles at fundraising events and wondered if the concept could be expanded globally through online ticket sales. She immediately thought of Picasso as the ideal artist for such a project and reached out to Olivier Picasso, who happens to be her childhood friend. After securing approval from the Picasso administration and estate, she reserved the painting through the Opera Gallery, which will receive just under one million euros following the drawing.
This marks the third Picasso raffle organized by Cochin, with previous events in 2013 and 2020 raising more than ten million euros combined. The first winner was twenty-five-year-old Jeffrey Gonano from the United States, who became the owner of a Picasso drawing valued at $860,000. Rather than keeping it at home, Gonano chose to display the work at the Museum of Pittsburgh before placing it in storage at Christie's in New York. The second winner, Claudia Borgogno, an accountant from Ventimiglia, Italy, received the painting as a Christmas gift from her son and won a 1921 Picasso worth one million euros.
Organizers aim to sell 120,000 tickets to generate eleven million euros for Alzheimer's research, significantly exceeding the painting's value. The foundation has implemented a safety net for participants: if insufficient tickets are sold to cover the painting's cost, all buyers will receive full reimbursement. Alzheimer's disease currently has no cure or treatment that can stop or reverse its progression, making fundraising efforts increasingly critical as global populations age. This unique intersection of art and philanthropy demonstrates how masterpieces can serve both cultural preservation and urgent medical research needs.
