Kennedy Center disassembles ‘Blue’ sculpture from its grounds
Crews removed the 24-foot sculpture as the Kennedy Center said artwork deinstallations are common practice and did not give a public reason.
- On Wednesday, Sept 2, 2026, crews removed the iconic 24-foot-tall 'Blue' sculpture from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, forcing the National Park Service to temporarily close the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway.
- The board, now dominated by Trump appointees, ordered the deinstallation to renovate the site in the image of President Donald Trump, following a 2025 directive by former curator Josef Palermo to remove all existing outdoor art.
- Created by the late artist, the 7-meter painted aluminum figure was a public-facing fixture installed during the 2019 expansion of The Reach, the center's $250 million addition.
- Condemning the removal as "buffoonery," the advocacy group Hands Off the Arts criticized the action, while the Joel Shapiro and Ellen Phelan Foundation confirmed they will determine a new location for the work.
- This action coincides with broader reshaping efforts in Washington, including ongoing legal disputes over the board's efforts to rename the venue "President Donald J. Trump Plaza" during the president's second term.
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71 Articles
Too ‘Blue’ for Trump: Workers tear down beloved Kennedy Center sculpture as Trump remakes the landmark in his image
A beloved piece of public art is the latest thing getting the boot at the Kennedy Center. Workers began removing Blue, Joel Shapiro’s towering electric-blue stick figure, from the grounds Wednesday as the Trump-controlled board pushes ahead with a sweeping renovation and rebranding of the performing arts center. The sculpture, installed in 2019, depicts a […]
By Kaanita Iyer, CNN - The Kennedy Center removed a human-figure sculpture from its grounds as President Donald Trump seeks to transform the performing arts institution, including with new artwork. A CNN affiliate observed several cranes removing parts of the large sculpture Wednesday morning.
Trump’s Kennedy Center Renovation Now Includes Removing An Iconic Blue Sculpture
The Kennedy Center is removing one of its most recognizable pieces of public art: “Blue,” a large abstract sculpture that has stood on campus since 2019, The Washington Post reports. The sculpture, created by artist Joel Shapiro, was installed as part of the Kennedy Center’s Reach expansion and quickly became a familiar landmark for visitors. Now, however, it is being removed from the grounds. Was it too woke for Trump's thin skin? Who knows. No…
An Iconic Part of the Kennedy Center Comes Down
A towering blue mid-kick figure that became a familiar sight along the Potomac began quietly coming down Wednesday morning. The Kennedy Center began dismantling "Blue," a 2019 outdoor sculpture by Joel Shapiro that the institution once billed as a permanent fixture of its Reach expansion, reports the New York Times...
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