Secret Scramble to Rescue Kennedy Center Treasures Exposed
The fate of priceless artworks at the Kennedy Center is up in the air as Donald Trump prepares for a costly renovation.
Photo Illustration by Eric Faison/The Daily Beast/Getty/Reuters
Donors and artists are scrambling to protect their artwork amid President Donald Trump’s planned overhaul of the Kennedy Center.
The project, approved by the center’s Trump-aligned board, involves shutting down the performing arts venue for two years.
The renovation, estimated to cost between $200 million and $257 million, follows a series of controversial changes under Trump, including putting his name on the building—only for a judge to rule that the original name must be restored.
U.S. President Donald Trump has proposed a major renovation of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images
As chairman of the center’s board, Trump has also fueled concerns about its art collection by threatening to demolish the building, removing a major outdoor sculpture last month and adding a gold-leaf portrait of himself.
Amid the chaos, donors, artists and their relatives have been contacting the Kennedy Center for months seeking answers about how its hundreds of valuable artworks and historical objects will be protected, whether their pieces will be moved during construction, and if they will eventually be returned, six people familiar with the matter told CNN.
Some have proposed moving their works to museums or other institutions, while others fear speaking publicly as the future of their donations remains uncertain, according to CNN.
The artists’ frantic calls come after Trump unceremoniously removed “Blue,” a large sculpture donated by the late artist Joel Shapiro in 2019, from the Kennedy Center grounds in September.
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
“I want to get that sculpture out of there,” one donor told the outlet.
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The concerns extend to some of the center’s most recognizable treasures. During discussions last summer, board members considered relocating an 8-foot, 3,000-pound bronze bust of President John F. Kennedy, donated by the Kennedy family.
They later learned it was bolted deep into the building’s foundation, making removal impractical, so the bust is expected to remain in place and be shielded during construction.
But other works have already been displaced.
Josef Palermo, a former Kennedy Center curator, described the removal of dozens of pieces from the Africa Lounge, including elaborate doors carved from a 700-year-old Nigerian tree, to make room for storage.
“Walking into it when it was hollowed out and darkened and my heart really sank,” Palermo told CNN. “The room was completely stripped bare.”
Board members considered relocating the 8-foot, 3,000-pound bronze bust of President John F. Kennedy, seen in 2013.
Paul J. Richards,/Getty Images
The Kennedy Center says the African artworks remain on site and that preservation measures are underway.
Officials have also pledged that all artwork will be “fully safeguarded” during construction, with some pieces moved temporarily and others remaining in place.
An enormous crystal chandelier donated by Austria, measuring 60 feet wide and lit by more than 3,200 bulbs, is expected to remain.
Officials are still discussing what to do with a bronze bust of Julius Rudel, the center’s first artistic and music director.
Still, “there is a major concern that a lot of this artwork is being pushed around the center,” one person close the Kennedy Center told CNN.
Despite the assurances, donors and former staff remain concerned about the collection’s future and whether Trump will replace existing works with art that better suits his tastes.
Richard Grenell, whom Trump installed to run the Kennedy Center in early 2025, was out by March 2026.
Jim Watson/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
Palermo said he was told last year to remove all outdoor artwork, including the abstract “Blue” sculpture, because Trump wanted “all new art for the reopening.”
The sculpture’s removal in September deepened those concerns. The Kennedy Center, however, said taking it down after seven years was “common practice.”
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House and the Kennedy Center for comment.
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