1 of 2 | Workers remove a large sculpture called “Blue” by artist Joel Shapiro from the grounds of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., on September 2. Photo by Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA
Sept. 8 (UPI) — Philanthropist David Rubenstein, the Kennedy Center chairman ousted by President Donald Trump during his takeover last year, has purchased Blue, the sculpture removed from the center last week.
Rubenstein paid more than $2 million for the sculpture and intends to eventually display it in the Sculpture Garden of the National Gallery of Art, The New York Times reported. He is the chairman of the gallery’s board of trustees.
Workers removed the 24-foot-tall sculpture from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts last week. The sculpture was created by artist Joel Shapiro, who said it was a “celebration of possibility.” It was installed at the center in 2019.
The Kennedy Center gave no reason for the sculpture’s removal. Josef Palermo, its former curator of visual arts and special programming, said former center President Richard Grenell had told him to “get rid” of all the outdoor artwork because Trump wanted an entirely new collection, The Washington Post reported.
Shapiro, who died in 2025, intended the sculpture to be a permanent outdoor installation overlooking the Potomac River, The Post said. It was a gift to and stood on the grounds of the Reach, a 2019 addition to the Kennedy Center that was partly funded by Rubenstein.
The pieces of the dismantled sculpture were returned to the Joel Shapiro and Ellen Phelan Foundation, from which Rubenstein then purchased the work.
The Kennedy Center’s board of trustees has voted to close for a two-year, $250 million project mandated by Trump. However, the closure was temporarily blocked by a federal judge, who also ruled that Trump’s name must be removed from the building.
The government is still seeking to convince courts to allow that closure and restore Trump’s name to the center. The Department of Justice has threatened to demolish the center if renovations do not take place, and Trump’s hand-picked board has voted to restore his name despite the court order.
In the beginning of his second term as president, Trump dismissed the entire Kennedy Center board of trustees — including Rubenstein –and named new board members, who in turn elected him chairman.
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