A conservation artist has blasted FIFA and Dallas decision-makers who painted over his iconic whale mural ahead of the 2026 World Cup — with country star Kacey Musgraves joining those frustrated over the decision.
Robert Wyland, known mononymously as Wyland, said he was never asked for permission before workers covered the massive “Ocean Life” mural in blue paint this week — more than 25 years after he painted it in downtown Dallas — in place of FIFA’s own artwork.
“That’s a lie with a capital L,” Wyland told FOX 4 after a North Texas FIFA committee member claimed they had contacted him about replacing the artwork for this summer’s World Cup.
“They picked the wrong artist, I can tell you that. I am going to go after them and go after them hard. I am going to ask the community of Dallas to stay with me.”
The mural, created in 1999, stretched across an 82-foot-high, 164-foot-wide wall in downtown Dallas and featured six humpback whales swimming through deep blue water.
Wyland, whose large-scale marine life murals appear in cities across the US, said the artwork was meant to raise awareness about environmental damage caused by major metropolitan areas.
“At first, it just looks like a beautiful painting of whales,” he said. “It’s more than that. It is really deep.”
The mural was painted over as FIFA prepares to unveil a new World Cup-themed artwork in Dallas, one of the host cities for this summer’s tournament.
“We look forward to unveiling a new piece that captures the current historical moment and reflects the energy, unity, and global spirit surrounding the World Cup 2026 this summer,” FIFA said in a statement.
Wyland disputed suggestions that he had approved the change, insisting that no one connected to FIFA, the city, or the building ownership group had received permission from him or his Wyland Foundation.
The artist also warned the move could spark wider concerns about the protection of public art under the federal Visual Artists Rights Act, which can give artists legal standing when their work is destroyed or altered.
“If they can get away with it, then all the public art in Dallas and all the public art in America is at risk,” he said.
Wyland said he believes the mural was worth roughly $15 million, but that any money from a potential settlement would be donated to communities, conservation efforts and school art programs.
Musgraves, a Texas native, amplified outrage over the move after sharing a report on the mural’s removal.
“This makes me really sad,” she wrote in an Instagram Story. “We suck the soul out of everything.”
Dallas will host nine World Cup matches during the tournament at AT&T Stadium, which will temporarily be renamed “Dallas Stadium” under FIFA rules.
But as the city prepares for one of the biggest sporting events in the world, Wyland said the loss of the mural will not be forgotten.
“We are going to protect the other art in Dallas,” he said.