An artist has filed a $25 million lawsuit against soccer’s international governing body, FIFA, and others after a mural was painted over in downtown Dallas. The well-known mural, created by the artist Wyland, featured life-sized whales and spanned about 17,000 square feet across two building walls.
The mural, which promoted ocean conservation, stood for nearly thirty years before it was recently covered up. This action has outraged local residents who valued the artwork. The mural’s replacement is intended to reflect the 2026 World Cup in terms of energy, unity, and global spirit, according to the area’s World Cup organizing committee. The committee added that a part of the mural would be preserved.
Wyland took his complaint to U.S. District Court in Dallas. He claims that FIFA and the building’s owner and management company painted over his work without consent or notification, violating the 1990 federal Visual Artists Rights Act. The law protects visual works of recognized artistic merit from destruction.
According to Wyland, FIFA and the other defendants damaged a local landmark to promote the World Cup. A FIFA spokesperson disclaimed any involvement, suggesting consultation with the local organizing committee instead.
The North Texas FWC Organizing Committee, which does not appear as a defendant in the case, has not commented. A spokesperson for Slate Asset Management, managing the mural site, said local organizers had requested the mural space for a new public art project and assured them Wyland was aware of this plan.
The lawsuit highlights the removal of the mural section known as “Whaling Wall 82,” painted by Wyland in 1999. The mural is part of a series aimed at promoting ocean conservation through art worldwide. The destruction has prompted an online petition demanding the protection of public artwork in Dallas, already gathering over 2,600 signatures.
The Visual Artists Rights Act has previously been cited in art destruction cases. In 2018, a judgment awarded $6.7 million to graffiti artists for the destruction of their work in New York.