Kennedy Center disassembles ‘Blue’ sculpture from its grounds
The Kennedy Center said deinstallations are common practice as the 24-foot Joel Shapiro work is moved, with its next location to be determined by a foundation.
- 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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Kennedy Center gives iconic ‘Blue’ sculpture the hook amid Trump makeover - The Daily Bo Snerdley
BS BULLETIN: The Kennedy Center removed Joel Shapiro’s towering 24-foot sculpture “Blue” from its grounds Wednesday, seven years after the work was installed at The REACH. The Kennedy Center called the move a “deinstallation” and said Shapiro’s foundation will determine where the sculpture goes next. A former Kennedy Center curator, however, says he was previously instructed to remove the outdoor artwork because President Trump wanted new art fo…
Blue sculpture removed from Kennedy Center (pic) – The Horn News
The Kennedy Center took down a sculpture known as “Blue” Wednesday, the latest change to the cultural and performing arts center that stirred some pushback in President Donald Trump’s second term. The strange sculpture, a tall, blue stick figure poised in action — as if to kick a ball or,... Read More The post Blue sculpture removed from Kennedy Center (pic) appeared first on The Horn News - Proudly American, Fiercely Independent.
Kennedy Center removes ‘Blue’ sculpture that was an artist’s gift
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts removed a major outdoor sculpture from the center’s grounds Wednesday. The work, installed in 2019, was targeted for elimination after President Donald Trump’s takeover of the center, according to internal documents obtained by The New York Times.
This action makes the Trump rage boil. A crane, a blocked area and a blue sculpture, which after many years has to clear its place in front of the Kennedy Center - on direct orders of the Trump administration.
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