British Artist Hockney Freed from Amsterdam Elevator by Firemen

Image: David Hockney and his rescuers ROBIN UTRECHT/AFP

British artist David Hockney had to be freed by Dutch firefighters from an elevator in Amsterdam as he was about to open a new exhibition of his works.

The 81-year-old, who holds the record for the most expensive painting by a living artist, had been heading down for a cigarette at his hotel late Wednesday when it suddenly stopped.

Hockney was in Amsterdam for the opening of "Hockney-Van Gogh: The Joy of Nature" at the Van Gogh Museum, which compares the British legend's works with those of the Dutch post-impressionist.

David Hockney and his rescuers ROBIN UTRECHT/AFP

In the lift with Hockney was a group of journalists including BBC reporter Jim Naughtie, who later interviewed him.

"We were in there half an hour," Hockney said.

Asked if he had ever had a similar experience before, Hockney replied : "No never."

The BBC's Naughtie said the lift had "jerked to a halt" and that nothing had happened when they pressed the alarm button.

Eventually -- with the help of Geordie Greig, editor of Britain's Daily Mail tabloid, who was waiting in the lobby -- help came in the form of the Amsterdam fire brigade, Naughtie said.

Bottles of water were passed through a gap in the lift door -- as well as a folding stool for the elderly Hockney.

Hockney cheerfully posed afterwards for pictures with the Dutch firemen, who gave thumbs-up signs.

An iconic 1972 swimming pool picture by Hockney -- "Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)" -- sold for $90.3 million at Christie's in New York in November, setting a new auction record for a living artist.

The Amsterdam exhibition examines the similarities between Hockney's colourful pictures, especially his landscapes of his native Yorkshire, and the vibrant paintings of Dutch master Van Gogh.

Courtesy to France 24