Wyland’s mural stood for nearly three decades before workers began painting over it last month to promote the World Cup.Published On 3 Jun 20263 Jun 2026A United States artist who painted a mural on a building in downtown Dallas of life-sized swimming whales has filed a $25m lawsuit against FIFA and other defendants, saying they illegally painted over his work to promote the city’s World Cup 2026 matches.Robert Wyland, who generally goes by only his last name, says he hand-painted the sprawling mural that covered roughly 1,580sq metres (17,000sq ft) across two walls of a building.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listWyland filed suit on Monday in US District Court in Dallas, saying World Cup organisers, the building’s owner and management company painted over his mural without his consent or even notifying him.He said their actions violated a 1990 federal law passed to protect visual artists from destruction of publicly displayed works.Wyland is seeking at least $25m in damages. His lawsuit said world football’s governing body, FIFA, and other defendants “hastily and irrevocably destroyed a civic landmark” to promote the World Cup.“Though FIFA claims they were working to develop art for the host city, in truth, they defaced an historic fixture of the host city,” the artist’s lawsuit said. A section of a mural, known as the “Whaling Wall 82,” created by artist Wyland, is visible as part of it on the right side of the building was painted over [Julio Cortez/AP]The mural stood for nearly three decades before workers began painting over it last month, causing an uproar among residents who admired the mural’s grand scale and message of ocean conservation.The area’s World Cup organising committee said in a statement that in place of Wyland’s mural, new artwork is planned “that captures this current historical moment and …
