Italian sculptor Sergio Furnari is developing a statue to honor Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, with plans to unveil it in the middle of Times Square in September 2026. Furnari described the location as "the center of the universe" in a video detailing the statue's creation process.

Furnari has been working on models of Kirk since last year, following Kirk's assassination during a Turning Point event at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025. The artist has shared videos on Instagram documenting his progress and the inspiration behind the design, which stems from Kirk's advocacy for First Amendment rights.

Addressing potential criticism, Furnari told Fox News Digital that he is not overly concerned about backlash, stating that critics "bark like chihuahuas" but "they don't bite." He compared this to similar reactions he faced after sculpting a bust of former President Donald Trump for his 80th birthday.

Furnari invited supporters to visit the statue, saying, "You can bring over whoever you want, family or friends. If you were a big fan of Charlie, this will be your opportunity to maybe find a little bit of peace or harmony."

The statue will mark the one-year anniversary of Kirk's death, a moment that Furnari highlighted by saying, "Now, to all the haters, how many times you guys want to kill Charlie?" He also reflected on the gravity of political violence, stating, "I did not agree with 99.9% of whatever he was talking about, but there's the 0.001% that I agree with him. At the moment you kill or assassinate people just because you don't agree with somebody, that's when you become like the worst country ever."

Sources