A 24-inch tall, bronze bust sculpture of the late Charlie Munger was revealed at the Omaha Marriott last weekend during the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting. The hotel was the preferred quarters for the investment legend whenever he visited his hometown and the Berkshire headquarters of his longtime partner, Warren Buffett. The sculpture, placed in the lobby accompanied by glasses of champagne and brochures, became a conversation piece for guests and Berkshire shareholders who walked by.
The sculptor behind the Munger bust, Yu Shu, shared her inspiration for the project. A real estate agent turned artist and Berkshire shareholder, Yu paid an unexpected visit to Munger’s home in Los Angeles in March 2023. Although she was declined a meeting with Munger, she obtained close-up shots of his profile from his longtime executive assistant, Doerthe Obert, to help her fine tune the facial details of the sculpture. It took Yu a total of 12 months and several attempts to complete the final version of the Munger bust.
Transforming Passion into Business
Yu Shu, a visitor to 10 Berkshire annual meetings, found inspiration in Warren Buffett’s advice to do what you love. She decided to turn her love for art and Berkshire into a business. Yu reflected on Buffett’s words at the 2022 annual meeting: ‘If you do what you love, you will never work a day in your life.’ This resonated with her and motivated her to pursue her passion for art. Yu currently divides her time between Denver and Taiwan, where she is working on creating big-sized Buffett sculptures.
Copies of the full-sized bronze busts of Charlie Munger are available for $19,500 each, while half-sized cold cast bronze busts are priced at $595. Yu Shu emphasized that creating a bronze sculpture is akin to value investing, as it requires patience and persistence. She expressed her admiration for Munger, stating that he has always been a personal hero of hers and was the perfect subject for her first sculpture.
During the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting last weekend, a longtime shareholder purchased the Munger bust that was on display in the Marriott lobby. The buyer, who chose to remain anonymous, expressed his desire to give the artwork to the Munger family, ensuring that Charlie Munger’s legacy lives on through the bronze bust sculpture created by Yu Shu.