A longstanding mural in downtown Dallas by American artist Robert Wyland has been painted over to make way for a FIFA 2026 World Cup mural, celebrating Dallas’ status as a host city for the international event.
Mr. Wyland, the artist behind a series of more than 100 “Whaling Walls,” whale conservation-themed murals installed at locations throughout the world, is incensed about the removal of his mural, which had been in place on the Texas Utilities Building since 1999. In an interview with Fox4 News in Dallas, Mr. Wyland said no one had contacted him prior to his mural, Ocean Life, being painted over, and that he is preparing to pursue legal action with the goal of “protect[ing] the other works of [public] art in Dallas” against a similar fate.
The Texas Utilities Building in downtown Dallas, with most of a mural by artist Robert Wyland painted over. Photo: Jessica Fuentes
ArtNews reported on Monday, May 18, confirmation that the artist intends to sue whomever is deemed responsible, and that he is “confident the artwork is protected under the Visual Artists Rights Act (VARA) of 1990,” which grants protections to artists against their works being intentionally destroyed. Section 4 of the VARA act specifically addresses “Removal of visual artworks from buildings,” offering the artist protections against “destruction, distortion, mutilation, or other modification of the work” and requiring “a diligent, good faith attempt” to notify the artist in advance of such actions.
A spokesperson for the owner of the Texas Utilities Building, Toronto-based Slate Asset Management, told Glasstire that the company was approached by Downtown Dallas, Inc. (DDI), a development group, and the North Texas FIFA World Cup Organizing Committee in March 2026 with a request to donate the wall for a new public art installation to be completed by a local Dallas artist. The spokesperson said that the company was told by the Dallas organizations that Mr. Wyland had been notified, and explained that Slate is not being compensated in any way for the use of the wall space.
Jennifer Scripps, DDI President & CEO, sent the following statement to Glasstire:
“DDI participated in early conversations surrounding Whaling Wall #82 and introduced the North Texas FIFA World Cup Host Committee to the property owners. DDI did not commission, fund, or manage this project. DDI welcomes the North Texas FWC Organizing Committee’s efforts to commission a local Dallas artist, creating an exciting opportunity to highlight emerging talent and contribute new public art to the city.”
Glasstire contacted members of the North Texas FIFA World Cup Organizing Committee but did not receive a response prior to publication.
According to the artist’s website, the Whaling Walls project — completed over a 17-year period from 1981 to 2008 — “remains one of the largest public arts projects in history and continues to be seen by an estimated one billion people each year.”
Comments on a WFAA News social media post about the mural’s removal included one person advocating for a “vocal outcry” and questioning whether a temporary vinyl covering could have been used for the FIFA mural, and another commenter lamenting, “For nearly 30 years, Wyland’s whales gave Dallas a soul beyond glass, concrete, and advertising.”
The Fox4 News report stated that since controversy over the removal of the mural has emerged, a side wall presenting a small portion of the original Ocean Life mural will be kept intact.
Details of the new FIFA mural have not been provided by DDI or the FIFA organizing committee, including how long the mural will remain following the conclusion of the nine upcoming FIFA World Cup matches slated for Dallas.