Get me art of here! David Hockney poses with firefighters after being freed from broken elevator at the opening of his new exhibition in Holland
- Artist David Hockney rescued by five firefighters after elevator broke at event
- Painter was giving press conference at the Conservatorium Hotel in Amsterdam
- After speaking to media renowned artist got stuck in faulty lift for 30 minutes
- The artist, 81, freed by emergency services and posed for pictures with rescuers
Artist David Hockney had to be rescued by five firefighters from a broken lift after getting trapped at an event for one of his new exhibitions.
The painter was stuck in an elevator in the Conservatorium Hotel in Amsterdam for almost half an hour after he had given a press conference earlier today.
Firefighters rushed to the scene to liberate Hockney, who is exhibiting in the Van Gogh Museum in the city.
After the world-renowned English painter and photographer, known for his striking pop art prints, was freed from the elevator he posed for pictures with the emergency services.
What a Hock up: David Hockney poses with his rescuers after getting stuck in a faulty elevator for half an hour after speaking at a press conference
The 81-year-old could be seen sitting in a chair holding his walking stick, smiling and shaking hands with firefighters.
Wearing a bright green cardigan and his trademark yellow-rimmed glasses, the printmaker also had a cigarette in his hand to calm his nerves after the ordeal.
Two firefighters gave a thumbs up to the camera as they celebrated Hockney’s freedom.
Hockney, whose most famous work includes Portrait of and Artist and A Bigger Splash, was stuck with eight others in the faulty elevator.
Regarded as one of the world’s greatest living artists, he had just spoken for over an hours about his love of the tormented Dutch master Van Gogh.
As a contributor to the pop art movement of the 1960s, Hockney is considered one of the most influential British artists of the 20th century.
A Bigger Splash: Hockney thanks a firefighter for extracting him from a broken lift at the Conservatorium Hotel in Amsterdam
The new exhibition at Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum highlights the influences of Hockney on the later landscape works of Hockney.
The exhibition at Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum, called ‘Hockney – Van Gogh: The Joy of Nature’ opens on Friday and runs through May 26.
It features both artists’ landscapes, juxtaposing paintings and drawings by the 19th century Dutchman with Hockney works ranging from small charcoal sketches and water colours to giant, wall-filling paintings, videos and iPad drawings.
‘I’ve always found the world quite beautiful, looking at it, Just looking,’ Hockney said in the exhibition’s catalogue.
‘And that’s an important thing I share with Vincent van Gogh: We both really, really enjoy looking at the world.’