Ernest Trova

ERNEST TROVA ( Clayton, Missouri, 1927 - Richmond, Missouri, 2009)
"Falling man," 1986.
Stainless steel. Exemplar P.A 1-2.
Signed, dated and justified on the side of the base.
Measurements: 76 x 50 x 48 cm.
The first figure of the Falling Man was created by the artist in 1964. It became the conceptual and formal axis of Ernest Trova's entire production, who considered his complete work as a single work in progress. Far from being a simple formal variation, Falling Man embodies a symbolic reflection on the human condition, understood by the artist as essentially imperfect. In statements made at the time, Trova defined the figure as "a personal hypothetical theory about the nature of man", in tune with philosophical and religious conceptions, such as the Catholic idea of fallen man, which interpret existence from fragility and fallibility.
Seriality was a structural principle in this series: the constant repetition and reformulation of the motif did not imply empty reiteration, but a process of symbolic purification. Trova transferred the image to multiple supports and scales, from monumental sculptures to wristwatches, which generated criticism for alleged commercialism. However, this strategy is inscribed in a logic close to that of pop art and to the repetition procedures of contemporaneity, where the multiplication of the image reinforces its iconic power.
Self-taught, Trova began his career as a painter before evolving towards three-dimensional constructions and, finally, towards sculpture as his main medium. In some works he incorporated toys and classic American comic book characters, attracted by their surreal dimension and symbolic potential. Although occasionally linked to pop art, his production also maintains affinities with surrealism and reveals influences as diverse as Willem de Kooning and the poet Ezra Pound, with whom he corresponded after World War II.
Born in Clayton, Missouri, Trova developed his entire life and career in the St. Louis area. He worked as a window dresser and decorator at the Famous-Barr department store, an experience that probably influenced the almost mannequin-like stylization of his figures. His early recognition came with the painting Roman Boy, awarded a prize at a state exhibition and reproduced in Life, a work that provoked both scandal and admiration for its provocative nature. With the support of collector Morton D. May, one of his pieces was admitted to the Museum of Modern Art in New York, consolidating his national projection.
From the early years of the Pace Gallery, which would become one of the most influential galleries in the world, Trova regularly exhibited his work. His works entered important public collections, among them the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Tate in London. In his home state, his legacy was especially significant: the founding donation of forty sculptures led to the creation of the Laumeier Sculpture Park in St. Louis County, a key institution for public art in the United States.