Robert Wyland responds to his Mural of Whale painted over in Dallas for the World cup with a lawsuit!!!!: see below

I met Robert  Wyland while he was painting a mural in Southern California. I think we were in Laguna. Wyland is  Noted for his "100 Whale Paintings" painted as murals. We were both fairly young. Wyland's passion for the environment, and  whales matched my own. For 30 or so years we would run into each other at art Fairs and events. IT was great to see Wyland grew in stature. In reading that his mural had been painted over for a world cup event I was dumbstruck. This was just wrong in my opinion. This week I was delighted to see Robert Wyland is suing the removal of his mural. See the below google search results: 

As per  a google search summary. : The Lawsuit: Filed in the U.S. District Court in Dallas, the suit alleges that defendants violated the federal Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990 (VARA), which grants artists legal rights to protect recognized public artwork from intentional destruction or alteration without prior notice or the artist's written consent( NYtimes )

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/02/us/dallas-whale-mural-wyland-lawsuit-fifa-world-cup-texas.html

 Photo image: Julio Cortez (Associated Press)

I searched Posts Statement on Instagram: 

wylandfoundation

 

Painted in 1999, Whaling Wall #82 in downtown Dallas holds a unique history. Its initial unveiling was accompanied by a huge Texan celebration remembered fondly by Dallasites. Famously, Hersel Walker joined to dedicate this mural, marking its completion and significance to the city. 💙

Regarding this piece, @wyland said, "There aren’t whales in Dallas, but my whole concept with the project was to connect even landlocked cities to the ocean. We’re all connected to the sea, so if people see the beauty in nature, they’ll work to protect it and preserve it." 💬

We aren't sure exactly when it happened, but sadly, advertisers covered the massive whales with a large-scale ad. Whaling Wall #82 remained hidden until April 2020, when the pandemic shrunk budgets for these huge outdoor ads. Much to the delight of Dallas residents, the mural re-emerged from behind the advertisement and cemented its place as one of the city's hidden gems. 💎

You can find this mural at the Texas Utilities Building at 505 Akard Street in downtown Dallas. 🏙

#robertwylandwhale-mural#fineartmagazineblog.blogspot.com#sunstormfineartmagazine.com #artfunenviornmenal#artfunfoever#artfunbeauty#artfunfall

Eleanor Harwood Gallery Opening tomorrow for Kate Tova & Anastasia Tumanova June 6th, 5-7 PM through July 18th, 2026

A cultural exchange between Russian, and Ukrainian artists Kate Tova, and Anastasia Tumanova. Art bridges all difference in the language of creativity.  

Memory Cradle Kate Tova & Anastasia Tumanova Opening Reception: Saturday June 6th, 5-7pm On View: May 9th-July 18th, 2026 *Please note our first email had the wrong day listed. Our Opening Reception is on Saturday in conjunction with Minnesota Street Project's First Saturday, June 6th, 5-7pm Anastasia Tumanova, Ravi's Garden, 2025, Glazed and stained porcelain on cord, hickory, 24 x 36 x 4 in Join us Saturday, June 6 | 5–7 PM Eleanor Harwood Gallery is delighted to present Memory Cradle, a two-person exhibition featuring Kate Tova and Anastasia Tumanova. Through painting, sculpture, and ceramics, these two Slavic artists explore folklore, cultural memory, and the natural world. Drawing from Ukrainian and Russian craft traditions, their work weaves together themes of resilience, belonging, ecology, and transformation. We invite you to celebrate the opening and experience this exhibition of contemporary works rooted in tradition and storytelling. Read more about Memory Cradle and the Artists on our website For inquiries please contact Eleanor Harwood +1 415 867 7770 & eleanor@eleanorharwood.com View Available Works in Memory Cradle Here Kate Tova, (untitled), 2025, oil on linen, 14 x 11 in Anastasia Tumanova, Red and Blue, 2026, Glazed and stained stoneware on cord, walnut, 24 x 24 in Kate Tova, Lullaby for the Lost, 2025, Oil on Linen, 16 x 20 in Anastasia Tumanova, Forget Me Not, 2026, Glazed and stained porcelain on cord, hickory, 24 x 24 in Meet the Artists Kate Tova b. 1995, Russia; lives and works in Monterey & Los Angeles, CA, US Kate Tova is a Russian-Ukrainian artist born in Russia, currently living and working in California, USA. Tova is a multidisciplinary visual artist whose practice spans mixed media painting, sculpture, and site-responsive work. Rooted in a deep engagement with the natural world, her work explores psychological states, healing, and human connection through organic materials, vibrant color, and tactile process. Tova has exhibited at the Oceanside Museum of Art and the Monterey Museum of Art, among other institutions, and completed an artist residency at the School of Visual Arts in New York. Her work has appeared on the covers of San Francisco Magazine and ArtScene Magazine. Anastasia Tumanova b.1986, Moscow, Russia; lives and works in Berkeley, CA, US Anastasia Tumanova is a Russian-American ceramic artist based in Berkeley, California. Inspired by California flora and traditional Russian folk art, she creates sculptural ceramic works and installations that translate natural textures, patterns, and growth forms into intricate abstract compositions. Tumanova has exhibited at Hashimoto Contemporary, Local Language Art Gallery, and Heron Arts, among others. Past clients include San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Google, and Walt Disney World. She received her B.A. from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2009. Kate Tova, Through the Fire, 2025, oil on linen, 14 x 11 Kate Tova, The Guardian, 2025, Oil on Linen, 14 x 11 in #elenoreharwoodgallery #fineartmagazineblog.blogspot.com#sunstormfineartmagazine.com #artfunbeauty#artfundiversity#artfunfoever#artfunfall

The Lew Allen Galleries new artists Rance Jones American, a master of Social Realism in large format.

 

Rance Jones, the  NOW REPRESENTING: RANCE JONES Rance Jones, Symmetry, 2024, watercolor on paper, 30 x 26 in LewAllen Galleries is pleased to announce the representation of American artist Rance Jones (b. 1965), a large format watercolor artist, who is a master of contemporary social realism. His paintings operate within the compelling intersection of fine art and cultural anthropology. Jones’ practice is anchored by an extraordinary sense of empathy, impelling him to document the human agency and resolve of people to thrive while enduring profound socio-political transitions—a theme most notably reflected in his extensive work chronicling daily life in Cuba.   His work has been described by one art writer as “humanist realism” and the term seems especially apt since Jones uniquely captures each individual presented in his paintings with a profound reverence for their personhood that transcends pretense, geographical boundaries, or polemics. Jones’ paintings reject the romanticized tropes often imposed upon complex regions; instead, his work reveals profound truth through the expressiveness of his subjects and the simple reality of their circumstances. Rance Jones, Meditation, 2019, watercolor on paper, 21 x 25 in One observes without authorial bias moments of a people’s story as they go about living their lives in places largely unfamiliar to most viewers and as they navigate adverse economic and political realities underlaying the backdrops of life one sees in Jones paintings. And the surprise is that these pictorial moments show a people whose resilience is both remarkable but seemingly ordinary, enduring those circumstances with which they are presented with dignity, grace and even sanguinity. Jones illuminates a deep human agency. As LewAllen Galleries co-owner, Ken Marvel, observes, Jones' work "carries with it the profound authenticity of the people he paints, leaving the viewer with clarity about the full, undeniable dignity of those individuals." Every portrait is a collaborative testament to individuality, offering a glimpse into lives lived fully, authentically, and without judgment.

MORE WORK BY RANCE JONES Rance Jones, Pink Kitchen, 2022, watercolor on paper, 25 x 21 in Rance Jones, Cane, 2021, watercolor & varnish on paper on panel, 21.5 x 18.75 in Rance Jones, Helado, 2019, watercolor on paper, 21 x 17 in

Jones’ work is technically extraordinary in its precision and detail, radically redefining the traditional parameters of the watercolor medium with photorealistic results that push the boundaries of the form. Moving away from the fluid, delicate transparencies historically expected from the medium, he utilizes a rigorous, hyper-realistic, multi-layered application of pigment. This intensive layering process achieves a stunning visual tonal depth, weight, and density typically reserved for oil painting. Through his exacting hand-painted precision, Jones grants his subjects a monumental, palpable presence on the paper. The rich texture of his paintings demand that viewers draw close, entering an intimate, reciprocal dialogue with the complex emotional realities of the people who inhabit these spaces. Rance Jones, Emanation, 2024, watercolor on paper, 23 x 28 in Jones’ unique mastery has earned him widespread acclaim and awards from over 14 prestigious organizations, including the American Artist Professional League, the National Watercolor Society, American Art Collector, and the Western Federation of Watercolor Societies. His work is held in private collections across the country, as well as the permanent collection of the 21c Museum Foundation, and was highlighted in the 2023 Thames & Hudson publication Hyperrealism. A full-color monograph of his work, Rance Jones: Watercolors of Cuba, was published in 2025. ​ A selection of Rance Jones’ latest masterworks is currently available for viewing on our website. We invite you to experience the extraordinary scale, detail, profound textures, and arresting humanity of these pieces in person during his inaugural exhibition in 2027 at LewAllen Galleries. View More by Rance Jones

©2026 LewAllen Galleries | Artwork ©Artist pictured

LewAllen Galleries 1613 Paseo de Peralta Santa Fe, NM 87501 505.988.3250 Mon - Fri  10 - 6 / Sat 10 - 5 Inquire