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Winner of €1m Picasso 'thought it was a scam', organiser tells BBC

One of the charity draw organisers tells BBC Radio 4's Front Row about calling the painting's new owner.

Published April 15, 2026, 10:21 PM
Updated May 12, 2026, 1:39 AM493
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Winner of €1m Picasso 'thought it was a scam', organiser tells BBC

The winner of a Pablo Picasso painting worth €1m (£870,000; $1.2m) thought he was being scammed when he heard the good news, a charity raffle organiser has told the BBC.

Péri Cochin told Radio 4's Front Row that she had to show Ari Hodara the artwork he had won on a video call from Christie's auction house in Paris before he believed she was telling the truth.

The raffle sold more than 120,000 tickets at €100 each to entrants around the world, raising €11m (£10m; $13m) for Alzheimer's research.

She says Hodara is still deciding whether he will keep or sell his grand prize.

Video edited by Ian Aikman.

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