Italian woman wins Picasso painting worth one million euros in charity raffle

More than 50,000 people from around the world bought tickets for the raffle
Proceeds from the raffle are going to provide water for villagers in Madagascar and Cameroon
REUTERS
Imogen Braddick20 May 2020

A woman in Italy has won an oil painting by Pablo Picasso which was offered up in a charity raffle.

After a two-month delay due to the coronavirus lockdown across France, Claudia Borgogno's winning ticket was picked out in an electronic draw at the auction house Christie’s in Paris on Wednesday.

Organisers valued the painting, Nature Morte - an oil on canvas which Picasso painted in 1921 - as being worth one million euros (£880,000).

The still life sat in the Picasso Museum and was part of Monegasque art dealer David Nahmad’s prized collection.

Raffle organiser Peri Cochin announces the winner as Italian woman Claudia Borgogno
AP

“Claudia has won this extraordinary painting tonight that is worth one million and so is a millionaire,” organiser Peri Cochin announced after the winner’s name and winning ticket number were displayed on a screen.

The 51,140 tickets sold for 100 euros (£88) each.

Organisers said they have already raised five million euros from the tickets at the raffle called 1 Picasso for 100 Euros.

They had hoped to sell 200,000 tickets, but the coronavirus crisis complicated the task, they said.

More than 50,000 people bought tickets for the raffle
AP

Proceeds are going to provide water for villagers in Madagascar and Cameroon.

The charity focuses on a number of initiatives, ranging from disaster relief to economic development, and their aim to provide "basic clean water and a decent toilet" to challenged communities is just one aspect of their global mission.

Organisers said the winning ticket was initially bought by someone else in Italy in December and then seemingly given as a gift to the eventual winner.

This is the second time that the raffle has taken place, with a 25-year-old American man winning Picasso’s £610,000 L’Homme au Gibus in 2013 with a ticket.

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