A Tribute to Wyland

Few artists have done more to put whales into the public imagination than Robert Wyland. Born July 9, 1956, in Madison Heights, Michigan, Wyland’s life changed at age 14 on a family trip to Laguna Beach, California, when he watched gray whales migrating just offshore.

He moved to Laguna Beach permanently in 1977 and has spent the decades since turning that childhood encounter into one of the largest public art and ocean conservation projects in history.

The Whaling Walls

In 1981, Wyland painted his first “Whaling Wall” — a life-size mural of whales — on a building in Laguna Beach. It was the start of a project that would eventually grow to more than 100 monumental outdoor murals painted across the globe, from Beijing (his 100th, completed in 2008) to the hull of the 1,000-foot cruise ship Norwegian Bliss (2018).

His largest single mural, covering more than three acres at the Long Beach Convention Center, set an international record for public art. The Whaling Walls were never just paintings — they were a deliberate act of scale, designed to make whales impossible to ignore in the middle of everyday city life, and to remind millions of people that these giants share the planet with us.

The Wyland Foundation

In 1993, Wyland established the Wyland Foundation to extend his art into direct environmental education and action, with a mission “to help children rediscover the wonder of the ocean through art.” The Foundation funds mural projects, addresses urban runoff and marine debris, sponsors the National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation, and operates a traveling clean-water science center that has reached students across the country.

Recognition

Wyland’s work has reached an estimated one billion people at its peak, and he’s been honored with four United Nations commemorative stamps (2010) marking the 50th anniversary of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission. His art appears on California and Florida specialty license plates that fund ocean conservation efforts.

A Note on Wyland’s Artwork

Wyland’s paintings are his own copyrighted work, so rather than reproduce them here, we encourage you to experience them directly through his official galleries below — and to support an artist who has spent a lifetime turning appreciation for whales into action.

See his work: Wyland Worldwide — The Artist · Wyland Foundation