All posts tagged: Mural

Calakmul Mural Identified as Early Depiction of Maya Hero Juun Ajaw

Calakmul Mural Identified as Early Depiction of Maya Hero Juun Ajaw

Published by Jenni Sidey

Researchers have identified what they believe is one of the oldest known representations of the mythical Maya hero Juun Ajaw at the ancient city of Calakmul in Mexico. Their findings, which were based on three years of research and analysis, were published in IdeAs, the online journal of the Institute of the Americas. The authors of the paper, archeologists Daniel Salazar Lama, Ana García Barrios, and Benjamin Esqueda Lazo De La Vega, focused on what is considered the earliest mural painting found at Calakmul, a massive Maya city whose ruins, deep in the Yucatan jungle, were discovered in 1931. Though the mural, which depicts a man in a headdress holding a spear, had been removed for conservation in 2004, the team relied on advanced imaging techniques to reconstruct both the work and its surrounding architecture. Related Articles In their report, the authors posit that the image, which until now had been thought to represent a warrior with a spear, is in fact a painting of Juun Ajaw, a central figure in Maya mythology best known …

Adrien Brody’s Latest Art Monstrosity Is a Mural for Raising Cane’s

Adrien Brody’s Latest Art Monstrosity Is a Mural for Raising Cane’s

Published by Jenni Sidey

Raising Cane’s is a place where you can buy chicken finger combos, super-sized Cokes, and crinkle-cut fries, all for under $15—a steal in today’s economy. Now, it’s also a place where you can … see art? Such is the case, at least, at the fast food chain’s Times Square establishment, where a new mural featuring the eatery’s logo was unveiled this week. Its maker is none other than Adrien Brody. Though better known as an Oscar-winning actor, Brody has recently gained attention as a painter, exhibiting artworks that riff on work by artists such as Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and more. These pieces have occasionally sold for top dollar—one painting went for $425,000 at a gala in Cannes last year—but they have been met with a less warm reception from the press. Related Articles Last year, when Brody had a New York exhibition, for example, this critic noted that his art fails to meaningfully respond to Pop art. “Warhol’s Monroe paintings are gorgeous—one at the Museum of Modern Art, a few blocks away from Brody’s …

US artist sues FIFA over destruction of Dallas whale mural for World Cup | Football News

US artist sues FIFA over destruction of Dallas whale mural for World Cup | Football News

Published by Sam Flores

Wyland’s mural stood for nearly three decades before workers began painting over it last month to promote the World Cup. Published On 3 Jun 20263 Jun 2026 A United States artist who painted a mural on a building in downtown Dallas of life-sized swimming whales has filed a $25m lawsuit against FIFA and other defendants, saying they illegally painted over his work to promote the city’s World Cup 2026 matches. Robert Wyland, who generally goes by only his last name, says he hand-painted the sprawling mural that covered roughly 1,580sq metres (17,000sq ft) across two walls of a building. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list Wyland filed suit on Monday in US District Court in Dallas, saying World Cup organisers, the building’s owner and management company painted over his mural without his consent or even notifying him. He said their actions violated a 1990 federal law passed to protect visual artists from destruction of publicly displayed works. Wyland is seeking at least $25m in damages. His lawsuit said world football’s governing body, FIFA, …

Artist Suing FIFA Over Destruction of Dallas Whale Mural Before World Cup

Artist Suing FIFA Over Destruction of Dallas Whale Mural Before World Cup

Published by Sam Flores

The artist who painted a giant mural on a building in downtown Dallas of life-sized swimming whales has filed a $25 million lawsuit against soccer’s international governing body and others, saying they illegally painted over his work to promote the city’s upcoming World Cup matches. The artist Wyland says he hand-painted the sprawling mural that covered roughly 17,000 square feet (1,580 square meters) across two of the building’s walls. The mural stood for nearly three decades before workers began painting over it last month, causing an uproar among residents who admired the mural’s grand scale and message of ocean conservation. The area’s World Cup organizing committee said in a statement that, in place of Wyland’s mural, new artwork is planned “that captures this current historical moment and reflects the energy, unity, and global spirit surrounding the World Cup 2026.” It said a portion of Wyland’s mural would be preserved. Wyland filed suit Monday in U.S District Court in Dallas saying that World Cup organizers, along with the building’s owner and management company, painted over his …

Muralist Wyland Files M. VARA Lawsuit Over Mural Destroyed by FIFA

Muralist Wyland Files $25 M. VARA Lawsuit Over Mural Destroyed by FIFA

Published by Jenni Sidey

When soccer fans converge on Dallas this month for World Cup games, the aesthetically inclined ones will encounter a city home to art museums, galleries, and public art. And yet, the city will be missing a major and longstanding public artwork, after conservationist artist’s beloved mural was painted over in May. Florida-based artist Robert Wyland has filed a $25 million federal lawsuit against FIFA and the owners of the building where his mural had appeared for a quarter-century, who, he says, painted over Ocean Life (1999), one of a hundred murals he painted around the world to raise consciousness about marine pollution and conservation efforts. The eight-story-high, 17,000-square-foot mural showed endangered humpback whales and dolphins and other marine life.  Related Articles The suit, filed on June 1 in the District Court’s Dallas division, claims that the destruction of the mural, designated as Whaling Wall 82, violates the artist’s rights under the Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990 (VARA). It names as defendants FIFA, the Canadian company Slate Asset Management, which owns the building at 505 N …

Muralist Wyland Files M. VARA Lawsuit Over Mural Destroyed by FIFA

Artist Outraged After Conservationist Mural Painted Over by FIFA

Published by Jenni Sidey

A giant mural by conservationist artist Robert Wyland has been painted over in Dallas to make way for a mural promoting FIFA, the international soccer federation.  The destroyed piece was one of 100 “whaling wall” murals that the artist has painted from Osaka to Detroit, and from Sydney to New York. Whaling Wall 1 appears alongside the Pacific Coast Highway and was dedicated in 1981; number 100 was painted outside Wyland’s own studio building in 1996. The Dallas mural, Ocean Life (1999), is number 82, and it covered two sides of the Texas Utilities Building. The larger portion, measuring 164 by 82 feet, depicted endangered whales and dolphins swimming in the ocean. Crews started painting over that section of the mural last week, and CBS News shot photos of the larger side of the mural, almost completely painted over. A smaller panel on an adjacent side, measuring 50 by 78 feet, remains visible, says CBS. Related Articles “This mural was created as a message of hope, conservation, and respect for our oceans,”  Wyland said in …

BBC ‘Buried’ Footage of Banksy at NYC Mural Site, Former Reporter Claims

BBC ‘Buried’ Footage of Banksy at NYC Mural Site, Former Reporter Claims

Published by José Betancourt

 A former BBC reporter is claiming that the U.K. broadcaster “buried” footage that he captured of Banksy at one of his mural sites in New York City. Nick Bryant, who previously served as the BBC’s New York correspondent, detailed his encounter with the anonymous British street artist and political activist in a recent post on his Substack. After establishing a relationship with Banksy’s team while covering the artist’s residency in NYC in 2013 for the broadcaster, Bryant said he “kept in touch with his PR team.” Related Articles A few years had passed when “one morning in March 2018, I was awoken by a phone call from Britain. Banksy’s PR team wanted to give me a heads-up. That day, he would unveil a fresh artwork somewhere in New York,” Bryant wrote. The reporter later learned that the location of Banksy’s new artwork would be at Lower Manhattan’s The Houston Bowery Wall, a well-established outdoor mural space known for showcasing international street art by renowned artists. “Our bureau in Lower Manhattan was not far away. We got there quickly, beating everyone …

BBC Buried Footage of Banksy at NYC Mural Site, Former Reporter Claims

BBC Buried Footage of Banksy at NYC Mural Site, Former Reporter Claims

Published by Daniella Wilson

A former BBC reporter is claiming that the U.K. broadcaster “buried” footage that he captured of Banksy at one of his mural sites in New York City. Nick Bryant, who previously served as the BBC’s New York correspondent, detailed his encounter with the anonymous British street artist and political activist in a recent post on his Substack. After establishing a relationship with Banksy’s team while covering the artist’s residency in NYC in 2013 for the broadcaster, Bryant said he “kept in touch with his PR team.” A few years had passed when “one morning in March 2018, I was awoken by a phone call from Britain. Banksy’s PR team wanted to give me a heads-up. That day, he would unveil a fresh artwork somewhere in New York,” Bryant wrote. The reporter later learned that the location of Banksy’s new artwork would be at Lower Manhattan’s The Houston Bowery Wall, a well-established outdoor mural space known for showcasing international street art by renowned artists. “Our bureau in Lower Manhattan was not far away. We got there …

Providence Mayor Demands Removal Of Iryna Zarutska Mural; “Does Not Reflect Our Values”

Providence Mayor Demands Removal Of Iryna Zarutska Mural; “Does Not Reflect Our Values”

Published by Jenni Sidey

Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news, Leftist politicians in Providence, Rhode Island, are erasing the memory of an innocent victim to shield their failed policies on crime and immigration.  The nearly completed mural honoring Iryna Zarutska—the 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee brutally murdered on a North Carolina light rail train by a repeat offender—is being removed after pressure from Democrat leaders who called it divisive. Conservative commentator Benny Johnson broke the story, posting: “Iryna Zarustka mural in Providence, RI, is being removed following protest of it by Mayor Brett Smiley.  Iryna Zarustka mural in Providence, RI, is being removed following protest of it by Mayor Brett Smiley. The artist of the mural says owners of the business (The Dark Lady) in the building the mural is on asked that it be removed. Would they had asked if it was of George Floyd? pic.twitter.com/pytE3CTsSb — Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) March 31, 2026 Mayor Brett Smiley immediately demanded the artwork come down. His office confirmed the move, and he released a statement: “The murder of the individual depicted in this mural was a devastating …

Cesar Chavez Mural Painted Over in San Francisco After Allegations

Cesar Chavez Mural Painted Over in San Francisco After Allegations

Published by José Betancourt

A mural of Cesar Chavez in San Francisco’s Mission District was painted over this week, becoming one of the first visible public reckonings with newly surfaced allegations of sexual abuse against the labor leader. The artwork, which covered the facade of the Latin Rock Music House at 25th and York Streets, was removed Wednesday by the building’s owner, Richard Segovia, along with artist Carlos “Kookie” Gonzalez, according to ABC7 Eyewitness News. The decision came days after a New York Times investigation detailed allegations that Chavez abused women and girls connected to the United Farm Workers movement.  Related Articles “I did this to let everyone know,” Segovia said. “Let’s get the ball rolling.”  Gonzalez, who has painted Chavez multiple times over the past three decades, said the allegations prompted an immediate reassessment. A planned new mural featuring Chavez has already been revised to instead center labor leader Dolores Huerta, who has publicly said she was among those harmed.  The removal marks a rapid shift in how Chavez is being publicly commemorated, particularly in California, where his legacy …