Too ‘Blue’ for Trump: Workers begin tearing down beloved sculpture at Kennedy Center as takeover battle continues
The Independent • • entertainment
Key Points:
- The Kennedy Center is removing Joel Shapiro’s Blue sculpture as part of a major renovation directed by the Trump-dominated board, which has also pushed to rename the center after Donald Trump despite court rulings.
- Blue, installed in 2019 and described by Shapiro as a "celebration of possibility," was taken down without prior public announcement, with the Kennedy Center stating the removal was requested jointly by the center and the artist’s foundation.
- Advocacy group Hands Off the Arts condemned the removal as politically motivated, calling it a loss for public art and criticizing the Trump-led board’s actions as defiant of legal orders.
- The board recently voted to add Trump’s name to the Kennedy Center’s facade and grounds, naming the outdoor space “President Donald J. Trump Plaza,” despite a federal judge’s ruling that the center may only bear John F. Kennedy’s name.
- Legal challenges continue, with Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty seeking to block the board’s renaming efforts, while the Department of Justice warns the center’s future is at risk without Trump’s financial backing amid ongoing renovations.
