Behind The Scenes: Creating The Charlie Munger Sculpture

When I embarked on sculpting Charlie Munger in late 2022, I had no idea the journey would involve an impromptu trip to Los Angeles and a gentle reprimand from one of the investment world's most private figures.

The Challenge of Capturing Charlie

Charlie Munger, Warren Buffett's right-hand man at Berkshire Hathaway, is famously low-profile. Despite his legendary status in the investment world, finding reference photos showing different angles of his face proved nearly impossible. I had one decent frontal photograph to work with—and that was it.

For weeks, I molded and shaped clay, trying to capture his essence from that single perspective. The sculpture progressed well from the front, but there was a problem: Charlie didn't have a neck! Without side or profile references, I couldn't accurately render how his jawline connected to his shoulders or how his ears positioned against his head.

Taking Matters Into My Own Hands

After wrestling with this dilemma, I decided on a direct approach—I wrote to Charlie himself, politely requesting if he might pose for me. Days turned into weeks with no response, and my impatience grew alongside my half-finished sculpture.

Then came the decision that seemed perfectly reasonable at the time: I would visit Charlie's Los Angeles home unannounced. After all, artists throughout history have gone to great lengths for their art, right?

The Unexpected Visit

I still remember the butterflies in my stomach as I approached his residence. The butler who answered the door regarded me with understandable suspicion—a stranger claiming to be a sculptor seeking photos of Mr. Munger.

Eventually, after I showed him photos of the Charlie bust I was working on.  I was introduced to Doerthe Obert.  Her expression combined politeness with unmistakable firmness as she listened to my explanation. When I finished, her message was crystal clear: "Please do not do this again."

Eventually, a reply did come from Charlie—brief and characteristically to the point: "Thank you, but I do not want to pose again."

An Unexpected Gift

Despite my social faux pas, something remarkable happened.  Charlie's team sent me several photographs showing his profile and side angles.

These images were exactly what I needed. With the new references, Charlie's sculpture finally got his neck, and I could complete the proportions and details that had eluded me.

The Completed Work

The finished bust now captures not just Charlie's facial features, but something of his character—the shrewd intelligence, the no-nonsense demeanor, and perhaps a hint of the wisdom that has guided his extraordinary life and career.

Creating this sculpture taught me not just about artistic technique, but about patience. Sometimes the greatest challenges in art aren't technical problems but human ones. The Charlie Munger bust now sits in my portfolio as one of my most challenging—and ultimately rewarding—artistic endeavors, complete with a story that reminds me that behind every great work of art lies not just creativity, but human connection.