The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts removed a famous outdoor sculpture from its grounds on Wednesday, the latest in a series of changes made as part of President Donald Trump’s takeover of the storied arts institution.
A public notice from the National Park Service announced road closures beginning around 6 a.m. “at the request of The Kennedy Center for the removal of the ‘Blue’ Statue on The Kennedy Center grounds.”
The Kennedy Center did not announce the sculpture’s removal ahead of time.
The sculpture, titled “Blue,” has been in place since 2019 and was made by the artist Joel Shapiro, who died just months after it was added to the Kennedy Center grounds. The Joel Shapiro and Ellen Phelan Foundation declined to comment on the statue’s removal when contacted by NOTUS on Wednesday.
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The Kennedy Center said in a statement to NOTUS that the sculpture is being removed at its request and that the foundation will determine its next location. It noted that deinstallations of gifted artworks are common practice for conservation and preservation purposes.
“We are deeply grateful to Joel Shapiro for the years Blue has spent animating our campus and connecting visitors to his vision,” a Kennedy Center spokesperson said. “We are honored to have been stewards of his vibrant work and a part of his enduring legacy.”
The sculpture resembles a blue stick figure with arms and legs. Video of the scene showed rigging crews wrapping the statue in protective material early Wednesday morning and later removing one arm from the structure.
The Kennedy Center website describes the work as “poised in mid-kick, turning the surrounding landscape into a giant stage as it prepares to pirouette across the grass.”
The White House did not immediately reply to requests for comment from NOTUS.
The removal of “Blue” is the latest adjustment in Trump’s broader reshaping of the center. Shortly after returning to office last year, the president named himself chairman and replaced much of the center’s leadership, which is now fighting in federal court to display Trump’s name on the building.
The sculpture was part of “The Reach,” a $250 million addition to the Kennedy Center that opened in 2019 and has been repeatedly criticized by Trump. The project was championed by former Kennedy Center chairman David Rubenstein, who Trump replaced in 2025.
The removal has already seen some local pushback, including from local arts group Hands off the Arts, which criticized the move in a social media post.
“First they came for the façade, now they come for the grounds. Say your final goodbyes to Blue, Joel Shapiro’s beloved figure outside The REACH,” the post read.
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