The renowned American artist Robert Wyland is suing FIFA, the local organizing committee for the 2026 World Cup, and the building owner and management for $25 million for having a whale mural in downtown Dallas covered up without permission.
Wyland, an artist famous for his large marine-art installations worldwide, says he did not consent to his “Whaling Wall 82,” mural, which graced two sides of a downtown Dallas building, being covered up by FIFA and its local committee ahead of the 2026 World Cup – which will be hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico – with a plan to display new World Cup artwork.
The mural, which was completed in 1999, covered 17,000 square feet of space and had been a landmark in the city for more than two decades. It showed full-size whales and was part of Wyland’s push for marine protection, and he claims the covering violated his Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990, which protects moral rights in recognized works of art.
The lawsuit claims the mural was covered up ‘hastily and irreversibly’ and that Wyland had no prior notice it was under discussion.
Locals are angry about the covering of the beloved mural and have signed a Change.org petition to save the work of art tens of thousands of times in a few days.
‘FIFA had no direct part in the decision-making, ‘ the FIFA spokesperson said to the Dallas News. ‘FIFA refers this inquiry to the local organizing committee.’
A spokesperson for the local organizing committee said that the artwork would ’embody’ the spirit and global nature of the World Cup and will also ‘incorporate elements’ of the original mural.
Dallas is expected to host nine of the tournament games in the new Cowboys stadium, which is more than any other host city. The artist’s lawsuit is bound to be a landmark case.
