Key facts
- Artist Wyland filed a $25 million lawsuit against FIFA and others.
- The lawsuit alleges the illegal painting over of his 17,000-square-foot whale mural in Dallas.
An artist is suing FIFA for $25 million, alleging his 17,000-square-foot whale mural in Dallas was illegally painted over by World Cup organizers without consent. The lawsuit claims violations of the Visual Artists Rights Act.
This lawsuit highlights the tension between public art preservation and commercial event promotion, potentially setting a precedent for artists' rights against the destruction of their work for development or marketing purposes.
Artist Wyland has filed a $25 million lawsuit against FIFA and other entities, alleging that his large-scale whale mural in Dallas was illegally painted over to promote the upcoming World Cup 2026 matches. Wyland claims the mural, which covered approximately 17,000 square feet across two walls, stood for nearly three decades before being painted over last month without his consent or notification. The lawsuit asserts that these actions violated the Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990, a federal law protecting publicly displayed works of recognized stature. FIFA has stated it has no involvement and referred inquiries to the local organizing committee, while the building's management company, Slate Asset Management, said they were asked by local organizers to donate the space and were told Wyland had been notified. The North Texas FWC Organizing Committee declined to comment. The mural, titled "Whaling Wall 82," was one of many painted by Wyland globally to promote ocean conservation.