Now Reading: Tyeb Mehta’s Rickshaw Puller fetches record Rs 69.1 crore
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Tyeb Mehta’s Rickshaw Puller fetches record Rs 69.1 crore
Tyeb Mehta's 2002 acrylic on canvas, 'Rickshaw Puller,' sold for Rs 69.1 crore at Volte Una's inaugural auction on Monday, 12 October 2026, setting a world auction record for the artist. The sale surpassed the previous record of Rs 61.8 crore set by 'Trussed Bull' in April 2025, and makes the work the fourth-most expensive Indian artwork ever sold at auction.
The painting attracted multiple bidders in the final minutes. Volte Una, a new auction house, used a single-lot format showing the work to collectors in Mumbai, New Delhi, New York, Dubai and London before a 12-hour bidding window starting 11 October. Founder Tushar Jiwarajka said the model reduces buyer's premium for consignors and successful bidders.
Art critic Uma Nair noted Mehta's earliest 'Rickshaw Puller' was from 1961 and sold at Christie's in 2004. The rickshaw puller figure, she said, was a symbol of labour and alienation, reflecting Mehta's belief that human struggle should be at the core of his practice. Volte Una's next auction, in late November, will feature a work by M F Husain.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Both Times of India and Hindustan Times report the same headline fact and record price, with identical coverage of Volte Una's single-lot format and the Rs 61.8 crore previous record. The coverage is uniform straight reporting. Hindustan Times adds a broader market context by naming two higher-priced Indian artworks sold earlier in 2026, a Rs 167.2 crore Ravi Varma and a Rs 118 crore Husain, while Times of India focuses narrowly on the artist's career arc and the new auction house's model. Both include quotes from Tushar Jiwarajka and art critic Uma Nair's interpretation of the rickshaw puller as a symbol of bondage. The balanced reading: the sale is a clear artist record and a notable debut for Volte Una, set against a rising Indian art market that has already seen higher prices this year.
Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral
Sources (2): timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report), hindustantimes.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
