A Legal Battle Over Public Art and Environmental Message
A renowned marine artist, Robert Wyland, is taking legal action against FIFA, seeking $25 million in damages after his iconic whale mural in downtown Dallas was painted over to make way for a World Cup advertisement. The artwork, titled “Ocean Life,” also known as Whaling Wall 82, has been a prominent feature in the city since 1999. It spans two sides of the Texas Utilities Building and showcases life-sized depictions of whales and other marine life.
The mural, which has become a beloved landmark, was removed without Wyland’s knowledge or consent, according to the lawsuit filed on Monday. Wyland is claiming violations of the federal Visual Artists Rights Act, which safeguards certain rights of artists.
“When a recognized public artwork, a long-standing conservation message, and a familiar Dallas landmark can all be erased without warning because someone else wanted the wall for another purpose, something is wrong,” Wyland stated in a statement to NBC 5.
“The people of Dallas lived with this mural. They drove past it, photographed it, and made it part of the city’s identity. Standing up for that is a responsibility. The mural is gone, but the message does not have to be.”
Wyland’s legal team has named several defendants in the lawsuit, including Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), FIFA (Americas), Inc., FWC2026 US, Inc., 3PZ Property Company, LLC, and Slate Asset Management.
The lawsuit aims to “vindicate Wyland’s rights under the Visual Artists Rights Act, a federal law protecting certain works of visual art from destruction, mutilation, or modification without the artist’s written approval.” It also claims that the mural was destroyed without notice or consent. Wyland said he was not notified before his mural was painted over blue last month.
A spokesperson for Slate Asset Management told NBC 5 that they were approached by Downtown Dallas Inc. and the North Texas FIFA World Cup organizing committee in March with a request to donate the wall space for a new public art installation. The spokesperson said that Slate was not compensated for use of the wall and “was told by the local groups that Mr. Wyland had been notified.”
Wyland and his marine conservation non-profit, the Wyland Foundation, emphasized in a statement that celebrating the major international sporting event shouldn’t come at the expense of public art. “This should have been an opportunity to show the world that global sports, public art, and environmental stewardship can stand together,” Wyland said. “Instead, a landmark was painted over. We want to do our part to make sure that what happened here does not become the standard for how public art is treated in cities across America.”
Wyland’s “Whaling Wall” series, a collection of over 100 ocean murals, can be spotted across the U.S. and globally. These artworks serve as powerful reminders of the importance of marine conservation and the need to protect our oceans.
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