A 2002 painting by Tyeb Mehta has set a new auction record for the artist. Rickshaw Puller, an acrylic on canvas, sold for Rs 69.1 crore at the inaugural auction of Volte Una, a single-lot auction platform founded by Tushar Jiwarajka and operated by Volte Arts DWC LLC of Dubai. The work attracted multiple bidders in the final minutes of the sale on 12 October 2026; the buyer's identity was not disclosed.

The result overtakes the previous benchmark for Mehta of Rs 61.8 crore, achieved by Trussed Bull at a Saffronart sale in Mumbai in April 2025. It also places Rickshaw Puller fourth among the most expensive Indian artworks ever sold at auction in rupee terms. The top position still belongs to Raja Ravi Varma's Yashoda and Krishna, which fetched Rs 167.2 crore, with works by M. F. Husain in second and third places.

Volte Una's model departs from the traditional auction format: each sale centers on a single work, presented through private viewings to collectors in major art hubs before bidding, with a significantly reduced buyer's premium. The platform says the approach gives each work individual attention and returns part of the usual premium to consignors and bidders. Its next sale, scheduled for the end of November, will feature a work by M. F. Husain from the Herwitz Collection.

The rickshaw puller was a recurring subject for Mehta (1925-2009), a central figure of Indian modernism who worked alongside the generation of the Progressive Artists' Group. His market trajectory has been remarkable: his triptych Celebration became the first Indian painting to cross the crore mark at auction in 2002, and his Mahishasura sold for about $1.58 million at Christie's in 2007. The latest result underlines the continuing strength of demand for museum-grade works by India's post-Independence modernists.