Kennedy Center chair fired by Trump buys Blue sculpture recently torn down by president: report

Kennedy Center chair fired by Trump buys Blue sculpture recently torn down by president: report Trump ousted major arts donor David Rubenstein in 2025 as the president pushed to rename the venue after himself - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments The former chair of the Kennedy Center, who was ousted from the institution’s board by President Donald Trump last year, has reportedly purchased a beloved blue sculpture that was removed from the venue’s grounds last week. Billionaire philanthropist David Rubenstein has purchased Joel Shapiro’s towering stick-figure sculpture Blue from the foundation dedicated to the artist, according to The New York Times. The 24-foot-tall sculpture, which was abruptly dismantled and removed from the grounds of the Trump-dominated Kennedy Center last week, is reportedly set to be installed at the Sculpture Garden of the National Gallery of Art. Last year, Trump fired Rubenstein, a major arts donor and co-founder of private equity firm The Carlyle Group, only to install himself as the Kennedy Center’s “amazing” new board chairman. Trump said he removed Rubenstein from the position because he did not share the president’s “Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture,” Trump wrote on Truth Social at the time. The president also appointed loyalists to fill out the board in a bid to rename the venue after himself and close the building for renovations as he speeds through multi-million construction projects throughout Washington, D.C. The Independent has requested comment from a representative for Rubenstein and the National Gallery of Art. Shapiro’s site-specific Blue sculpture, installed in 2019, depicts an electric blue stick figure in mid-kick in a “celebration of possibility,” according to the artist. Shapiro died last year. The Kennedy Center made no advance announcement of the removal plans. The National Park Service only posted a street closure notice earlier last week indicating that a teardown project was set to begin before dawn and be completed by 1 p.m. Workers began removing the piece before sunrise. “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 told The Independent as workers were disassembling the piece. “We are honored to have been stewards of his vibrant work and a part of his enduring legacy,” the spokesperson said. According to the Kennedy Center, the artwork was removed at the request of the Kennedy Center and the Joel Shapiro and Ellen Phelan Foundation. A representative for the foundation declined to comment to The Independent at the time. Advocacy group Hands Off the Arts, which has campaigned against Trump-led changes to the institution, told fans of the piece to “say your final goodbyes.” “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,” the group wrote on Instagram. “But it won’t be the last.” Shapiro’s piece was “designed specifically as a joyful and welcoming feature for the public grounds of the expansion,” the group said. Last month, the board voted to install Trump’s name on the building’s white marble facade — again — despite court orders that have prevented the president from making any attempt to rename the landmark after himself. Under a resolution approved by the board, the words “Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump” will appear under President John F. Kennedy’s name, and the phrase “Endowed by the Trump Kennedy Center Fund” will also be added once an endowment — also in Trump’s name — reaches $100 million. Together, those changes could mean that the building will be named: “The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts renovated and restored by President Donald J. Trump endowed by The Trump Kennedy Center Fund.” The board also voted to name the grounds where the building stands after Trump. Under the resolution, that space will be called “President Donald J. Trump Plaza.” Trump’s name was removed from the building this summer after U.S. District Judge Christopher R. Cooper ruled that Congress made it “crystal clear” that the memorial is only to be named after the assassinated former president, “and it cannot bear any other formal name or public memorial” based on Trump’s “unilateral say-so.” Scaffolding and a massive white tarp that were erected to strip the metal nameplates from the facade are still standing outside the building. Only “The John F.” and part of the letter “K” are currently visible. Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty, who is leading the legal battle against the Trump-led changes, filed an emergency motion last month asking Cooper to block the board’s latest vote, which her legal team called a “breathtaking act of defiance” of the court’s order. The Department of Justice has argued that the venue will rapidly deteriorate without the support of the president, whom government lawyers have called the “sole hope” for its financial and structural survival. Justice Department officials also said the building could be demolished in the future if the court stops the Kennedy Center’s two-year closure, renovation and re-branding plan. “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,’” lawyers for Beatty wrote in court filings last month. “This is a breathtaking assault on the rule of law. It is delusional. And it must stop.” Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments