Famed marine artist Wyland has gotten into a spat with a developer in Redondo Beach, California who wants to paint over a mural that decorates a power plant slated for possible closure later this year.
The “Gray Whale Migration” mural, one of more than 100 “Whaling Walls” around the world drawn by Wyland, was installed in 1991. It’s 586 feet (179 meters) long and 95 feet (29 meters) high.
The developer, Leo Pustilnikov, was originally open to the idea of preserving parts of the mural, but says he balked when the Wyland Foundation asked for financial support. Pustilnikov told a local newspaper:
“Now they are trying to drum up support to save it because the guy has an ego. I’m not going to save any portion of it, just because of how he conducts himself. I’m not going to be extorted or greenmailed by these guys.”
For his part, Wyland says the mural could be taken down and rebuilt somewhere else:
“And then they want to spin it, we’re wanting money? We don’t want anything from these people. What we want to do is preserve the mural, we were trying to work with them and now they are being really aggressive. I want to keep it positive, but this guy threatens to paint over the wall.”
Check out the full details of the dispute at DailyBreeze.com.
(Image credit: Wyland Foundation)
