Kennedy Center Tears Down 'Blue' Sculpture

"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 spokesman told The Independent. "We are honored to have been stewards of his vibrant work and a part of his enduring legacy." The center said the removal was requested by the Kennedy Center and the Joel Shapiro and Ellen Phelan Foundation, which will decide where the piece goes next. A representative for the foundation declined to comment to The Independent.

Advocacy group Hands Off the Arts told supporters to "say your final goodbyes to Blue, Joel Shapiro's beloved figure." It wrote on Instagram: "Wednesday, September 2, 2026 will forever be known as the day the United States government tore down a piece of public art at the behest of a petulant crybaby. But it won't be the last."

Josef Palermo, who was laid off in March as the center's curator of visual arts and special programming, objected to the lack of notice and said there should be more transparency when works the center holds in trust for the American people are removed.

Justice Department lawyers have argued in the renovation litigation that the venue will deteriorate without Trump's support, calling the president its "sole hope" for financial and structural survival, and warning it could face demolition if courts halt the two-year closure and rebranding plan. Beatty's lawyers wrote last week: "In plain English, Defendants have not-so-subtly said: 'What a nice Kennedy Center you have here. What a shame should something happen to it.' This is a breathtaking assault on the rule of law. It is delusional. And it must stop."