A bronze bust of the late Charlie Munger wowed crowds in Omaha at the Berkshire meeting

OMAHA, Neb. – A 24-inch bronze bust of the late Charlie Munger became a conversation piece for guests who stayed at the Omaha Marriott last weekend for Berkshire Hathaway's annual meeting.

The hotel, next to the Berkshire-owned jewelry store Borsheims, was a favorite haunt of the investing icon, who passed away in November at the age of 99, whenever he visited his hometown and the Berkshire headquarters of his partner and close friend Warren Buffett.

The statue, which was placed in the lobby accompanied by glasses of champagne and brochures, quickly attracted the attention of several Berkshire shareholders who walked by and also two superfans — Munger's daughter Wendy and his longtime executive assistant Dorothe Obert.

“I went back to the lobby and the hotel staff were saying 'Dorth came down twice to look for you,'” Yu Xu, the 39-year-old artist who created the statue, said in an interview with CNBC. “Then they called Dorith and came down. I hugged her and said, 'Nice to see you again,' and she said, 'We've never met before.'”

This wasn't actually the first time Yu had met Obert. The real estate agent-turned-artist, herself a Berkshire shareholder, made an unexpected visit to Munger's Los Angeles home in March 2023, hoping to meet Munger and tell him about the sculpture in the works. While she was denied an interview, she requested close-ups of his profile from Aubert in order to fine-tune facial details.

It took Yu a total of 12 months and a number of attempts to finish the final version of Munger's bust. She, who has attended 10 of Berkshire's annual meetings, said she was inspired by life advice from Warren Buffett 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 was thinking ‘How can I turn my passion into a business?’” Yu said.

Versions of the full-size bronze busts are available for $19,500 each, while half-size cold cast bronze busts are priced at $595. The artist, who grew up in Chengdu, China and currently divides her time between Denver and Taiwan, said she is working on large-scale sculptures for Buffet at the moment.

“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 much like investing in value; it requires patience and perseverance.”

Last weekend, a longtime Berkshire shareholder purchased the bust of Munger, the one that once adorned the lobby of the Marriott Hotel. The buyer preferred to remain anonymous, but said he hoped to deliver the artwork to the Munger family.