A superhero statue on display in downtown Fredericton proved no match for vandals who smashed it into the ground this weekend.

Prince Edward Island artist Gerald Beaulieu spent weeks building the larger-than-life figure, a wood-based, clay-covered muscular man that resembles the '70s superhero Incredible Hulk.

Atlas Man and his creator Gerald Beaulieu in happier times. (CBC)

Called Atlas Man, the statue appeared to be holding up the side of the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design in the city's historic Garrison District.

Beaulieu is disappointed that his work was destroyed. "It was a selfish and cowardly act," he said. "It didn't accomplish anything and it deprived a lot of people of a lot of pleasure. People really enjoyed him being here."

The sculpture was part of an exhibit of similar superheroes, all built by Beaulieu, at Fredericton's only artist-run gallery, Gallery Connexion.

Gallery board member Carol Collicutt says the sculpture was worth up to $20,000 and represented 150 hours of work.

"To have that work negated in a flash, just on a whim, seems to me so horribly irresponsible and disgusting," she said.

"I'm just appalled. I can't believe it's happened."

Beaulieu built Atlas Man in a public space, where hundreds of tourists and city residents wandered by and watched his progress.

Collicutt says the sculpture is now in pieces under a tarp.

"Both his hands are off," she said. "And I think there's quite extensive damage to him."

Vandalism outrages mayor

Fredericton Mayor Brad Woodside is outraged by the attack on Atlas Man. He says vandalism is a problem in the city, and he wants it solved.

Fredericton police are investigating the incident, and say a security camera in the Garrison District was trained on the statue the night it fell to the ground.

Police say the grainy security tape shows a man running through the Garrison courtyard just after 12:30 a.m. Sunday.

At 12:32 a.m., Atlas Man is erect and intact, and one minute later, the statue is laying in pieces on the ground, with its hands and one foot broken off.

The person in the courtyard has not been identified and police say the camera, which sweeps on an axis, missed the moment when the statue hit the ground.

Woodside hopes the culprits will be caught. 

"We get a lot of criticism when we talk about putting up cameras and things like that, but I'd love to have a camera when somebody does this kind of damage to be able to identify them and have them charged," he said.