Tyeb Mehta’s Rickshaw Puller sells for Rs 69.1 crore, a world record for artist
Tyeb Mehta’s Rickshaw Puller fetched Rs 69.1 crore at a single‑lot auction, establishing a new benchmark for the artist and joining the elite group of Indian artworks sold for over Rs 60 crore.
The acrylic, painted in the final decade of Mehta’s career, revisits his signature theme of human struggle and movement, and its fierce last‑minute bidding reflected the strong collector appetite for modern Indian masters.
The sale was handled by the newly launched platform Volte Una, which discards traditional multi‑lot catalogues in favour of one‑work events, lowering buyer’s premiums and offering a more private, focused viewing for serious collectors.
This achievement places Rickshaw Puller alongside marquee sales such as M.F. Husain’s Gram Yatra and V.S. Gaitonde’s Untitled, underscoring the robust demand that continues to drive the Indian market.
With Volte Una’s next auction slated for November featuring a major work by M.F. Husain from the Herwitz Collection, the industry will watch to see if this streamlined model reshapes auction practices.