Caught by police

Excitement: Man went on the rampage in Vienna museum

The incident occurred on Monday at the Albertina Modern. A man is said to have tried to destroy a work of art by the sculptor Fritz Wotruba.(Bild: Groh Klemens / KroneKreativ)

Excitement at the Albertina Modern: On Monday, a 42-year-old Austrian man is said to have gone on the rampage in the museum in Vienna's city center for as yet unexplained reasons. The troublemaker is said to have damaged a marble table and tried to knock over a statue of the Austrian sculptor Fritz Wotruba. 

The incident occurred at around 3.40 pm. Officers from the Inner City Police Department were called to the museum because the 42-year-old was in the process of damaging a marble table. According to the officers, he then tried to knock over a statue (see photo). 

The 42-year-old is said to have tried to knock over the statue.(Bild: Klemens Groh)

Man was charged after questioning
The troublemaker is said to have braced his back against the wall and tried several times to push the work of art away from him with both hands. The man was provisionally arrested by the police, but was released after questioning on suspicion of serious and attempted damage to property. 

The Albertina modern is a museum for contemporary art, which was opened as the second location of the Vienna Albertina in the Künstlerhaus Wien.(Bild: Klemens Groh)

Further details as to why the 42-year-old wanted to destroy the artwork are not yet known. 

Work of art by Austrian sculptor
The statue was created by one of the most important Austrian sculptors of the 20th century, Fritz Wotruba. His works of art are usually traded for tens of thousands of euros.