A Picasso for a Hundred Euros

Obtaining a Picasso for one hundred euros while supporting a good cause is possible. The Recherche Alzheimer Foundation, a French organization that funds research on Alzheimer's disease, is raffling a valuable piece by the genius from Malaga. This allows for a 10,000-fold increase on the small 'investment' and to treasure 'Tête de femme', a work by one of the most influential artists in history.

The foundation is selling 120,000 'tickets of hope' for Alzheimer's patients and their families. One of its buyers will become the new owner of the 'gouache' measuring 38.9 by 25.4 centimeters painted by Picasso in 1941 and valued at one million euros.

It comes from the collection of Opera Gallery, present in 30 countries and based in Madrid since 2023. Gilles Dyan, its founder, is a partner of Recherche Alzheimer, which supports more than 40 research teams in Europe.

The draw will take place on April 14 at the Paris headquarters of Christie's. Participation is possible through the website www.1picasso100euros.com. There will be a single winner. The other participants will have the satisfaction of having contributed to the advancement of research against the disease.

The initiative is not new, but it is "exceptional," according to its organizers, who have already raffled two Picassos. In 2013, Jeffrey Gonano, a 25-year-old from Pennsylvania, became the owner of a Picasso drawing valued at over one million dollars. Five million euros were raised for the International Association for the Safeguarding of Tyre, a World Heritage city in Lebanon, where a village was built to revitalize traditional crafts, create jobs, and stimulate the local economy.

In 2019, Claudia Borgognona, an Italian accountant from Ventimiglia, was the winner. Her son Lorenzo, 25, bought her a ticket as a Christmas gift. She became the owner of a Picasso still life from 1921 valued at one million euros donated by collector David Nahmad. Another five million euros were raised for the NGO Care with the sale of 51,140 tickets in one hundred countries. They financed water purification and hygiene programs in the most affected regions of Africa, a crucial issue during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Recherche Alzheimer funds research to understand the mechanisms of a disease that affects 800,000 people in Spain, where 40,000 cases are diagnosed each year. Some 35 million people worldwide suffer from Alzheimer's, a number that could double by 2050, according to the World Health Organization.