Dallas whale mural was covered by ads for years before FIFA dispute

Google Street View images show the Dallas whale mural at the center of Wyland’s lawsuit against FIFA was at least partly covered by large advertisements for years before it was painted over ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

The images, reviewed by Urgent Matter, show Wyland’s Ocean Life, also known as Whaling Wall 82, visible from Patterson Street in August 2011 and February 2017.

But Street View images from between 2012 and 2020 show large temporary advertisements covering much of the wall. The ads included promotions for beer companies Sol and Heineken and airlines Virgin America and Emirates.

The past use of the wall to hang massive advertising banners raises the question of why the same solution was not considered in FIFA's case.

And the images do not resolve the central claim in Wyland’s lawsuit, which alleges FIFA, its affiliates, the building owner and property managers violated the federal Visual Artists Rights Act by painting over the mural without his consent.

Wyland filed the lawsuit June 1 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. He seeks at least $25 million in damages.

The complaint describes the mural as a "beloved landmark” that stood for nearly three decades in downtown Dallas. It also says the work was painted by hand, without assistants, and spanned roughly 17,000 square feet across two exterior walls of the building.

FIFA has denied involvement in the mural’s destruction. A spokesperson previously told the Associated Press that the organization “has no involvement in this whatsoever.”

Slate Asset Management, which manages the building, told AP that local World Cup organizers asked in March to use the wall space for “a new public art installation” and that it was told Wyland had been notified.

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