Kennedy Center Removes Joel Shapiro's“Blue” Sculpture

(MENAFN- USA Art News) A prominent public sculpture by American artist Joel Shapiro, titled“Blue,” is currently being removed from the grounds of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. The sculpture, permanently installed in 2019, had become a beloved local landmark.

According to the Kennedy Center, the deinstallation of donated artworks is standard practice for cultural institutions. The center also stated it was“deeply grateful” for the years that“Blue” had“spent animating our campus.” The artwork is being transferred to the Joel Shapiro and Ellen Phelan Foundation. Pace Gallery, which represents Shapiro, did not respond to a request for comment.

However, a former curator at the center claims the artwork was first targeted last fall, following President Donald Trump's takeover of the institution. Josef Palermo, who was laid off in March, stated in an email that he was summoned to the office of then-director Richard Grenell on September 5 of last year. Palermo was allegedly instructed“to 'get rid of' all the outdoor artworks because 'the president wants all new art for the reopening'” after a planned renovation of the center. Palermo said he“delayed and obfuscated” the directive as long as possible and is“devastated” to see“Blue” removed.

Grenell was appointed by Trump, who also installed a new board of supporters that elected the president as chairman. The Kennedy Center was controversially renamed the Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, but a federal judge ordered the removal of Trump's name from its title earlier this year. Last month, the board voted instead to inscribe“Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump” on the building. It also voted to close the center for two years for renovations.

Palermo also cited the recent closure of the Kennedy Center's former African Room, stating,“We've already seen art and artifacts that were donated to the American people by several African nations be removed.” Among these was a wooden sculpture from Ghana commemorating Kennedy after his 1963 assassination. Palermo added that there had been“no accountability” for the items' whereabouts, saying,“the lack of transparency regarding the removal of Blue demonstrates a continuing pattern of disregard for the artworks held in trust for the American people by The Kennedy Center.”

The decision has drawn criticism from the activist group Hands Off the Arts, formed in 2025 to protest government interference in cultural institutions. The group released a statement on Wednesday, calling“Blue”“a beautiful interpretation of whimsy” and its removal“the latest example of Trump's authoritarian tendencies.” The group urged Trump to step down from his role at the institution or for the U.S. Congress to place the center into receivership.

Source: Artnet News

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