Ernest Trova

1927-2009

Missouri native Ernest Trova was a self-trained surrealist, pop art painter, and sculptor, and is best known for his “Falling Man” sculpture series. At age 20, he exhibited Roman Boy, his first major painting, and was awarded first prize in the St. Louis Art Museum’s Missouri Exhibition. Several of his other early art pieces were acquired by both the Guggenheim and the Modern Museum of Art in New York City, and the Tate museum in London. Trova has always insisted on consistency of content in his work, along with persistency of application and personal addiction for getting work done. He considered his entire output a single “work in progress.” In 1976, Trova generously donated 40 pieces to the Laumeier Sculpture Park in St. Louis, putting it on the map as a popular tourist attraction.