Marine artist Robert Wyland has issued a cease-and-desist letter after crews began painting over his longtime whale mural in downtown Dallas to make way for a FIFA World Cup 2026-themed artwork.
The legal notice, sent Tuesday by the Dallas law firm Kessler Collins, calls for an immediate stop to work affecting the mural known as “Ocean Life” or “Whaling Wall 82.”
The mural, painted in 1999 on two adjacent sides of an eight-story building at 505 N. Akard St., spans about 17,000 square feet and features blue whales and other marine life. The artwork was part of Wyland’s global “Whaling Walls” series, focused on ocean conservation, and had become a familiar downtown landmark.
Wyland’s attorneys argue that painting over the mural violates the federal Visual Artists Rights Act, or VARA, which protects works of “recognized stature” from intentional destruction or alteration without an artist’s consent, reported KRLD.
According to the letter, the mural was altered without Wyland’s notification, knowledge, or consent. The filing accuses the building owner, 3PZ Property Company, along with the City of Dallas, the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau, and FIFA, of disregarding federal protections for public art.
Crews began covering portions of the mural with dark blue paint last week as part of preparations for new World Cup-related artwork ahead of the 2026 tournament. Organizers previously said part of the original mural would remain visible as a tribute, but Wyland and his foundation said no meaningful consultation took place.
“This was more than paint on a wall — it was part of my work, alongside the Wyland Foundation, to bring people together to protect our oceans and clean water,” Wyland said, the Associated Press reported.
He added that the mural’s removal left him “deeply disheartened.”
“When a piece that has carried meaning for generations can be erased without dialogue, it raises serious questions about how we value public art, artists, and the communities these works were created to serve,” he said.
The controversy has sparked backlash from residents, artists, and students concerned about the treatment of public art as Dallas prepares to host World Cup events next year.
Katy Rose Cusick, a student who helped launch a Change.org petition opposing the mural’s removal, said the transformation happened suddenly.
“I see that mural almost every day on my way to school and then one day they were painting it over,” Cusick said, per AP. “And it was just so incredibly shocking to me that that could happen so quickly.”
Another student involved with the petition effort, Joshua Hurston, said supporters hoped the attention would help prevent similar situations in the future.
“If we couldn’t save necessarily the mural, making sure that something like this doesn’t happen again,” he said, AP reported.
On Wednesday, petitioners plan to attend the World Cup organizing committee’s board meeting to “demonstrate that Dallas residents will not stand for the silent erasure of our landmarks,” the students wrote on the petition website.
Downtown Dallas Inc. said it participated in early discussions involving the wall but did not oversee the project.
“In the past year, DDI is proud to have commissioned 12 local artists for over 20 improvement projects adding fresh vibrancy and color throughout Downtown Dallas,” the organization said in a statement, the Dallas Observer reported.
The group added that it “did not commission, fund, or manage this project.”
A spokesperson for the North Texas FIFA World Cup Organizing Committee said organizers were looking forward to “unveiling a new piece that captures this current historical moment and reflects the energy, unity, and global spirit surrounding the World Cup 2026,” while preserving “a portion” of Wyland’s mural, AP reported.
Dallas is scheduled to host nine matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, more than any other host city in the tournament, which the United States, Canada, and Mexico share. All nine matches hosted by Dallas during the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
Wyland’s mural was unveiled in April 1999 and was one of more than 100 “Whaling Walls” the artist has created around the world as part of his ocean conservation efforts.
