A bronze bust of the late Charlie Munger wows the Omaha crowd at the Berkshire meeting

OMAHA, Neb. — A 24-inch-tall bronze bust of the late Charlie Munger was the talk of the town for guests staying at the Omaha Marriott last weekend for Berkshire Hathaway’s annual meeting.

The hotel, next to Berkshire’s Borsheims jewelry store, was a favored stay for the investing icon, who died in November at age 99, whenever he visited his hometown and the Berkshire headquarters of his longtime partner and confidante Warren Buffett .

The sculpture, installed in the lobby, accompanied by glasses of champagne and brochures, soon attracted the attention of numerous passing Berkshire shareholders, as well as two special fans – Munger’s own daughter Wendy and his longtime executive assistant Dorthe Obert.

“I went back to the lobby and the hotel staff said, ‘Dörte came looking for you twice,'” Yu Shu, the 39-year-old artist who created the sculpture, told CNBC. “Then they called Derta and she came. I hugged her and said, “It’s good to see you again,” and she was like, “We’ve never met before.”

This was indeed not Yu’s first meeting with Obert. The artist-turned-real estate agent, herself a Berkshire shareholder, made a surprise visit to Munger’s Los Angeles home in March 2023, hoping to meet Munger and tell him about a sculpture in the works. Although she was refused a meeting, she asked Obert to take close-up profile pictures of him to clarify facial details.

It took Yu a total of 12 months and several attempts to complete the final version of Munger’s bust. Having attended 10 of Berkshire’s annual meetings, she said she was inspired by Warren Buffett’s life advice to turn her love of art – and Berkshire – into a business.

“His words at the 2022 annual meeting resonated with me: “If you do what you love, you will never work a day in your life.” I thought, “How can I turn my passion into a business?” – Yu said.

Life-size copies of bronze busts. available for US$19,500 each, and half-size cold-cast bronze busts cost $595. The artist, who grew up in Chengdu, China and currently splits her time between Denver and Taiwan, said she is working on large-scale Buffett sculptures right now.

“Charlie Munger has always been a personal hero of mine, so he was the subject of my first sculpture,” Yu said. “Creating a bronze sculpture is a lot like value investing; it requires patience and persistence.”

Over the weekend, a longtime Berkshire shareholder purchased a bust of Munger, the same one that once graced the Marriott lobby. The buyer chose to remain anonymous but said he hopes to give the artwork to the Munger family.