A towering stick-man sculpture on the Kennedy Center’s grounds is being removed as the venue’s Donald Trump-dominated board begins a massive renovation project at the president’s direction.

Joel Shapiro’s Blue sculpture, installed in 2019, was targeted for elimination with Trump’s takeover of the performing arts center, which the board has repeatedly sought to rename after the president.

Shapiro’s sculpture, depicting an electric blue stick figure in mid-kick, is 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 posted a street closure notice earlier this week indicating that a teardown project was set to begin before dawn and be completed by 1 p.m.

“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. “We are honored to have been stewards of his vibrant work and a part of his enduring legacy.”

According to the Kennedy Center, the artwork was removed at the request of the Kennedy Center and the Joel Shapiro and Ellen Phelan Foundation, which will determine its next installation location at a later date. A representative for the foundation declined to comment to The Independent.

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 to Blue, Joel Shapiro’s beloved figure.”

“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 installed as a site-specific work” that was “designed specifically as a joyful and welcoming feature for the public grounds of the expansion,” the group said.

The Kennedy Center has sought to characterize the removal as a routine deinstallation, pointing to the removal of Roy Lichtenstein’s sculpture Brushstroke in December 2025 after the expiration of the loan from the Hirshhorn Museum. It is currently installed outside the Portland Art Museum.

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” appear under President John F. Kennedy’s name, and the phrase “Endowed by the Trump Kennedy Center Fund” would also be added once an endowment — also in Trump’s name — reaches $100 million.

According to the Kennedy Center, the artwork was removed at the request of the Kennedy Center and the Joel Shapiro and Ellen Phelan Foundation, which will determine its next installation location at a later date. A representative for the foundation declined to comment to The Independent.

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 to Blue, Joel Shapiro’s beloved figure.”

“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 installed as a site-specific work” that was “designed specifically as a joyful and welcoming feature for the public grounds of the expansion,” the group said.

The Kennedy Center has sought to characterize the removal as a routine deinstallation, pointing to the removal of Roy Lichtenstein’s sculpture Brushstroke in December 2025 after the expiration of the loan from the Hirshhorn Museum. It is currently installed outside the Portland Art Museum.

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” appear under President John F. Kennedy’s name, and the phrase “Endowed by the Trump Kennedy Center Fund” would also be added once an endowment — also in Trump’s name — reaches $100 million.