Sculptor to install Charlie Kirk tribute in Times Square on assassination anniversary
Artist Sergio Furnari plans to place a bronze statue of Charlie Kirk in Times Square on Sept. 10, marking one year since the activist’s death.
Sergio Furnari, the Italian-born sculptor behind a 40-foot Cristiano Ronaldo statue, is preparing a 6-foot-5-inch bronze tribute to conservative activist Charlie Kirk for Times Square. The piece, depicting Kirk seated with his signature microphone and a "FREEDOM" T-shirt, was funded entirely from Furnari’s own resources at a cost of roughly $100,000. He intends to unveil the monument on Sept. 10 at 2:33 p.m., exactly one year after Kirk was assassinated at a Turning Point USA event.
Furnari has opened an online fundraiser, offering donors inscription on the statue’s platform, to offset his outlay. While he does not share Kirk’s views, he frames the work as a statement on freedom of expression and hopes it will encourage dialogue. In the weeks leading up to the planned unveiling, Furnari says he has been inundated with hateful comments and threats to damage the sculpture.
Why it matters
The planned statue raises questions about art, free speech, and political polarization in a public space.
How this story developed
- Sep 1 Nearly 200 Utah campus witnesses seek victim assistance after Charlie Kirk shooting
- Sep 1 Judge Graf will hold a probable‑cause hearing to decide if the case can move forward.
- Sep 1 Judge Tony Graf heard closing arguments and will issue his decision on probable cause.
- Sep 2 Judge Tony Graf certified the aggravated murder charge, opening the possibility of a death‑penalty trial.
- Sep 3 Judge Tony Graf bound Tyler Robinson over for trial, scheduling the next hearing for October 23.
- Sep 6 Art professor Karen Leader was placed on leave after posting anti-Kirk content, but a court ruled her speech protected and she has returned to teaching.
- Sep 8 Turning Point USA’s chapter network kept growing and a Florida professor was reinstated after a legal ruling on her social‑media posts.
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