22 Year old Pewaukee man on Wednesday suddenly attacked The Triumph of David by Ottavio Vannini (1640) after walking arround the museum for 3 and a half hours. He proceeded to kick the severed head of Goliath upside the face while the painting still hung on the wall and then rip it from its supports and begin kicking it on the floor. After detained by guards he proceeded to rip off his shirt and lay on the floor telling Police he was disturbed by the image of Goliath’s severed head.
The painting was on loan from the Haukohl Family Collection, considered the largest collection of 17th-century Florentine art in America.
According to a museum press release, the loan was made possible by Mark Fehrs Haukohl, a Milwaukee native and art collector who lives in Houston.
David Gordon, museum CEO and director said the museum’s insurance company was contacted, and the painting will be examined by conservators to determine what to do with it. Early indications are that it may be repairable.
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