An attorney dispatched a cease-and-desist letter to stop “further destruction” of a mural celebrating ocean life and conservation in downtown Dallas.
The eight-story-tall mural was painted over to create a fresh slate for a new mural celebrating the FIFA World Cup 2026, which kicks off in less than a month.
“I like American football and I like soccer too, but this is unacceptable,” Wyland, the artist of the 1999 mural, said. “You can't come into any community and disrespect the artists and the art and the history.”
The North Texas FWC Organizing Committee declined an interview.
In a statement, the committee said it recognizes “the cultural and historical significance” of the mural and is committed to preserving a portion of it. The statement also noted that the new mural was meant to capture “The energy, unity and global spirit surrounding the World Cup 2026 this summer.”
The City of Dallas said it issued a permit to close the sidewalk, but directed all questions about the mural to the local World Cup organizing committee.
A spokesperson for Slate Asset Management, which owns the building at 505 N. Akard St., said they were asked to donate the wall and were told that Wyland had been contacted.
A controversial “bluewashing”
Wyland doesn’t live in Dallas, but several fans of his work do. He said he didn’t know his work was being painted over until one of those fans reached out.
“As soon as I saw that picture, I mean, it was too late,” Wyland said. “You know how they say ‘whitewashed?’ They bluewashed it, and they had it over halfway destroyed.”
Wyland donated the piece called “Ocean Life” to the city. It was one of 103 murals he painted around the world during a 30 year project to promote conservation.
One small corner at the top of the eight-story oceanlife mural remains untouched, as does the portion of the mural that wraps around to a smaller face of the building.
Before long the photos blew up on social media. Kacey Musgraves, the country star from North Texas, weighed in. “This makes me really sad. We suck the soul out of everything,” she wrote in an Instagram story.
A pair of high school seniors started a petition to protect the work, and headlines from news outlets throughout the country followed.
It’s not the first time something like this has happened, so why did a mural with humpback whales make such big waves?
Touching a tender nerve
Losing the mural touched nerves that were already tender: Dallas is months into a debate about whether to preserve its I.M. Pei-designed city hall building or to demolish it and redevelop the high-value land where it’s built.
The city of Dallas is home to the International Broadcast Center for the World Cup, practice facilities and a free fan festival. However, the matches will be played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, and tickets are out of reach for most locals.
Carlos Donjuan is an assistant professor of art and art history at the University of Texas at Arlington. He is also a member of the renowned Sour Grapes graffiti crew.
“I think people just want to feel like they belong. People wanna feel people care about them,” he said. “Sometimes something just as simple as a mural can bring value to the community, and it gives people a sense of pride, a little bit of beautification for the neighborhood.”
The legal picture
Wyland and his attorney, Nick Roide of Kessler Collins, P.C., believe the covering of the mural violates the Visual Artists Rights Act. The 1990 law established protections for the authorship and integrity of an artist’s work.
“It basically is a recognition of the relationship between the artist and the artist’s creation, right? They're putting their passion into the work,” Roide told KERA News. “So what that prevents is intentional distortion, mutilation or other modification of the work that would essentially hurt the artist's honor or reputation.”
Property owners have rights too, and there is a legal pathway for removing a mural, Roide said. In the cease-and-desist letter, he outlined how that process wasn’t followed.
“When artwork is incorporated into a building in such a way that removing it would cause its destruction, the property owner has a clear legal obligation: obtain a written waiver from the artist before taking any action. That obligation was ignored entirely.”
It’s unclear whether the new mural will move forward. Roide said on Thursday that he was waiting for a response to his letter.
“I'm just one artist, but I'm not scared of them,” Wyland said.
He sees this as an opportunity to assert the rights of visual artists across the country, and he says he won’t back down.
Got a tip? Email Marcheta Fornoff at mfornoff@kera.org.
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