Tyeb Mehta painting Rickshaw Puller fetches record Rs 69.1 crore at auction

Modernist master Tyeb Mehta’s 2002 acrylic-on-canvas painting Rickshaw Puller sold for Rs 69.1 crore at the inaugural auction held by Volte Una, establishing a new world auction record for the artist.

The transaction eclipses Mehta’s previous benchmark of Rs 61.80 crore set by Trussed Bull in April 2025, placing Rickshaw Puller as the fourth-most expensive Indian artwork ever sold at auction in rupee terms.

Created during the final decade of Mehta’s career, the painting depicts a solitary rickshaw puller—a powerful motif the artist first encountered during his childhood visits to Kolkata and returned to repeatedly to explore themes of human endurance and existential struggle.

The sale marked the debut of Volte Una, a newly established platform operated by Tushar Jiwarajka that departs from traditional multi-lot catalogues by offering a single major artwork per auction. The model is designed to give collectors extended time to evaluate provenance and examine pieces privately before bidding opens.

Bidding for the piece opened at Rs 33 crore, drawing sustained interest from international collectors before closing after a competitive 12-hour window. Volte Una reduced traditional buyer premium rates for the sale to redirect financial margins toward consignors and successful bidders.

Art market analysts note that the record-setting price reflects heightened domestic and international demand for rare, museum-quality modernist works that rarely surface in public transactions. Mehta produced a limited body of work across his lifetime, maintaining exacting standards that often led him to discard unfinished or unsatisfactory canvases.

Volte Una plans to continue its single-lot calendar with approximately ten to twelve curated sales annually. The platform's next scheduled auction in late November will feature a significant painting by M.F. Husain originating from the Herwitz Collection.