A muralist is suing FIFA for $25 million after his whale painting in downtown Dallas was painted over ahead of the World Cup.<\/p>\n
The \u201cOcean Life\u201d painting by artist Wyland was partially covered with blue paint in May to make space for a piece commemorating the nine World Cup matches coming to Arlington, Texas.<\/p>\n
Wyland is now suing FIFA and the owners of the two buildings where \u201cOcean Life\u201d is painted for damages, citing the Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990 \u2014 a law that gives artists the right to claim authorship of their publicly displayed work.<\/p>\n
The building\u2019s owners, Slate and 3PZ Property Company, are accused of allowing \u201cOcean Life\u201d to be \u201cintentionally painted over and permanently destroyed\u201d without seeking Wyland\u2019s consent. Wyland sent the companies and FIFA a cease-and-desist letter last month to stop painting over his work, according to reporting by The New York Times<\/a>, but the parties involved went forward anyway.<\/p>\n \u201cThe right of integrity grants Wyland the ability to prevent the destruction of any of his works of recognized stature, and to prevent any intentional distortion, mutilation, or other modification of his works of that would be prejudicial to his honor or reputation,\u201d the lawsuit said. \u201cThe right of integrity can only be waived by Wyland if he has signed a written instrument expressly stating such.\u201d<\/p>\n An environmentalist who incorporates social issues into his work, Wyland hand-painted \u201cOcean Life\u201d in 1999 as part of the Whaling Wall mural series, which included whale-focused pieces in dozens of landlocked cities around the world. It originally covered two sides of the buildings it\u2019s on, encompassing 17,000 square feet.<\/p>\n Check out DPL Art Librarian Mariza Morin’s Booked Solid blog post on public art in Dallas and find out where these whales have been hiding out for the past five years: https:\/\/t.co\/0FoKeCINFr<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/L45CvFXw0e<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Dallas PublicLibrary (@dallaslibrary) July 15, 2020<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIn their zeal to capitalize on the international attention on Dallas during the FIFA World Cup, Defendants hastily and irrevocably destroyed a civic landmark,\u201d the lawsuit said. \u201cThough FIFA claims they were working to develop art for the host city, in truth, they defaced an historic fixture of the host city.\u201d<\/p>\n Recent photos show that the mural\u2019s largest section, spanning the complete rear facade of one building, is now entirely covered by blue paint. Only a single humpback whale remains visible, which FIFA told Dallas news station NBC 5<\/a> will be left to \u201crecognize the cultural and historical significance\u201d of Wyland\u2019s piece.<\/p>\n The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. Wyland is requesting a jury trial and that the defendants cover any legal fees as part of a potential resolution.<\/p>\n \u201cFIFA has no involvement in this whatsoever and refers all inquiries on this matter to the host city committee,\u201d FIFA said in a statement to The Athletic.<\/p>\n That body, the North Texas FIFA World Cup Organizing Committee, declined to comment on the lawsuit.<\/p>\n