$100,000 Life-Size Charlie Kirk Statue Falls Short of Sculptor's Million-Dollar Hopes

A broken foot. A cursed feeling. Just a fraction of the money he'd hoped for.

New York sculptor Sergio Furnari spent $100,000 (£74,000) building a life-size statue of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk, convinced it would become a multi-million-pound project. Instead, it has left him wondering whether the whole project is jinxed.

Is the Statue Cursed? Furnari's Doubts Grow as Support Stalls

Furnari, an Italian-born artist based in New York, recently tripped over a roll of tape in his studio and broke his foot while working on Kirk's statue, the latest setback in a project that has brought him more grief than glory.

'Is it cursed? Maybe. I don't know,' he told the Guardian.

Kirk, the Turning Point USA co-founder, was frequently criticised for remarks that opponents described as racist and bigoted on his podcast that 'prowling Blacks go around for fun to go target white people'. He also mused: 'If I see a Black pilot, I'm going to be like: "Boy, I hope he's qualified."'

Furnari has been clear he was no fan of Kirk's politics. 'I wasn't a fan of Charlie,' he said, adding that Kirk's comments on Palestine irritated him particularly. Furnari recalled Kirk saying, 'Oh no, Palestine doesn't exist.' He admitted that he thought Kirk 'must be out of his mind.'

Despite the disagreements, Furnari said the statue was about free expression as much as tribute, describing it as an effort to 'glorify and to exercise the First Amendment, this freedom of speech'. At other points he cited support for Kirk's widow, a wish to 'glorify democracy' and a desire to 'commemorate a person'.

He later drew a comparison to some of history's great artists. 'Why am I making the statue? The same reason why Michelangelo did the Pietà, or Michelangelo did the David, or Leonardo da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa,' he said. 'Why? Just to commemorate a moment, you know, a person.'

How $100,000 in Materials Became Just $1,400 in Donations

The financial reality has proven far harsher than the artistic ambition. Furnari has spent roughly $100,000 (£74,000) on steel, resin and labour, a sum he hoped to recoup many times over.

He launched an online fundraiser seeking an initial $150,000 (£111,000), hoping the campaign would eventually raise millions. As of publication, the campaign had raised just $1,400 (£1,040).

'I was thinking that it was going to resonate with the world, with whoever, but man, people are strange out there,' Furnari said. 'Meaning like, nobody is really coming up with support, especially financial support. So far I've spent all my money on this.'

His current plan is to place the statue in Times Square on 10 September, the anniversary of Kirk's death, in the hope of generating fresh interest and clawing back some of the cost.

The Conservative Firebrand Whose Death Shocked America

Kirk co-founded Turning Point USA in 2012 with Bill Montgomery, building it into one of America's largest conservative youth organisations and becoming one of Donald Trump's most prominent conservative supporters. He was shot and killed on 10 September 2025 while speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, during a stop on his campus tour. He was 31.

A 22-year-old suspect was later charged with aggravated murder over the killing, which prompted widespread condemnation and reignited debate over political violence in America.