Statue of Charlie Kirk
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| Statue of Charlie Kirk | |
|---|---|
| Artist | Sergio Furnari |
| Year | 2026 |
Completion date | July 17, 2026 |
| Medium | Bronze |
| Subject | Charlie Kirk |
| Location | |
The statue of Charlie Kirk is a lifesize statue built by Italian artist Sergio Furnari to honor the late right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk after his assassination on September 10, 2025. The statue is planned to be displayed at Times Square on the first anniversary of his death.
At the announcement that the statue would be unveiled on the anniversary of Kirk's death, it was ridiculed on social media, with people threatening to harm the statue once it was displayed.
History
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On September 10, 2025, right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated during a campus debate at Utah Valley University. Following his death, he was revered by Republicans and young conservatives.[1][2]
In July 2026, Italian artist Sergio Furnari announced his creation of the Charlie Kirk statue, created in Kirk's honor after his death.[2] Even though Furnari did not agree with some of Kirk's views, he said that his reason for its creation was that he wanted to exercise the First Amendment right of freedom of speech.[2][3] Furnari said that the statue will be put on display in Times Square in New York City on September 10, 2026, on the anniversary of Kirk's assassination, if he fails to sell it to a third party.[3][4][5][6] Furnari said that he intended to invite New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani to the statue's unveiling, if it happens.[3]
Finances
[edit]Furnari is said to have invested $100,000 of his own money in building the statue. He said that he expected wealthy persons to donate money to him, although no one has done so yet.[2][3] He put up a fundraising campaign on the Christian crowdfunding platform GiveSendGo.[2][3][7] The crowdfunding page stated that he had to sell his own apartment and that "none of the politicians/entrepreneurs/supporters have contacted him."[8] As of August 2026[update], he had raised over $9,000.[9]
In an interview with The Guardian in July, Furnari blamed the people for why his statue did not sell, and said that he "know[s] lots of people out there, and everybody's so cheap".[2][3]
Reception
[edit]After the announcement of the monument for Kirk, people online made fun of the statue, threatening to urinate on or vandalize the statue once it was unveiled in New York.[10][11][12] Some of Charlie Kirk's supporters noted that it looks nothing like him.[11][13] Furnari said to USA Today that "I would never be an instigator, especially with my artwork; it's not made for that."[14]
People speculated online that football player Nick Bosa had visited the statue while getting ready for training camp, which later turned out to be false.[15]
References
[edit]- ↑ Cleave, Iona (July 20, 2026). "Sculptor left $100k out of pocket after Charlie Kirk statue fails to find funding". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Gabbatt, Adam (July 20, 2026). "New York sculptor spent $100,000 to make a Charlie Kirk statue no one wants to buy". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Sommerlad, Joe (July 21, 2026). "Sculptor spent $100,000 making lifesize Charlie Kirk statue but has no takers". The Independent. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
- ↑ Kornick, Lindsay (July 15, 2026). "Italian artist unveils Charlie Kirk memorial statue he plans to feature at Times Square". Fox News. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
- ↑ Brunati, Bryan (July 14, 2026). "Charlie Kirk Monument Set to Be Unveiled in New York City on Anniversary of Activist's Assassination". AOL.com. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
- ↑ Euzarraga, Matthew (July 15, 2026). "Statue of Charlie Kirk set to be unveiled in Times Square: Here's when". NewsNation.
- ↑ Villarreal, Daniel (July 14, 2026). "Charlie Kirk statue to be unveiled in NYC. People say it'll be "destroyed & vandalized" in seconds". LGBTQ Nation. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
- ↑ Goodman, Rachel (July 20, 2026). "New York artist who made statue of Charlie Kirk claims no one will buy it". Global News. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
- ↑ "Charlie Kirk Memorial Monument | GiveSendGo". www.givesendgo.com. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
- ↑ "Artist's Planned Monument to Charlie Kirk Gets Trolled Online". Hyperallergic. July 16, 2026. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
- 1 2 Bishara, Hakim (July 17, 2026). "Planned Charlie Kirk Statue Gets Trolled". Hyperallergic. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
- ↑ Lisitza, Alexa (July 22, 2026). "So, Um, The Artist Of That Viral Charlie Kirk Statue Is Mad That People Want To Pee On It". BuzzFeed. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
- ↑ Wrobleski, Tom (July 16, 2026). "Location of new Charlie Kirk memorial statue raises concerns: 'Not sure how long this will survive'". Yahoo News. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
- ↑ Martinez, Amethyst (July 16, 2025). "What NYC artist says about upcoming Times Square Charlie Kirk statue". USA TODAY. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
- ↑ Roy, Mahima (July 16, 2026). "Fact check: Did Nick Bosa really visit Charlie Kirk's statue in New York City ahead of training camp?". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved July 19, 2026.