Ernest Trova Art
American, 1927-2009
In the early 1960s, St. Louis Sculptor Ernest Trova—who was entirely self-taught—began developing his pivotal theme of Falling Man, a stark and startling image that combines references to classical sculpture with an industrial aesthetic. In his Profile Canto series, Falling Man—depicted as an androgynous, mechanical figure—is folded and segmented as to be nearly undetectable amid the various geometric forms that comprise these works.to
3
1
3
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
6
1
1
1
1
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
4
4
2
1
1
11
8,777
2,809
1,642
1,313
6
1
Artist: Ernest Trova
Flowing Man
By Ernest Trova
Located in Boca Raton, FL
Edition 37/99
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Ernest Trova Art
Materials
Stainless Steel
Ernest Trova, 1969 - "Editions At Pace" Exhibition Poster
By Ernest Trova
Located in Winterswijk, NL
1969 exhibition poster by Ernest Trova, Editions at Pace, created as a color lithograph. This vibrant piece highlights Trova’s distinctive style, making it a valuable addition for co...
Category
20th Century Abstract Ernest Trova Art
Materials
Paper
Double Walking Figure
By Ernest Trova
Located in Boca Raton, FL
rnest Trova was an artist whose signature creation, a gleaming humanoid known as “Falling Man,” appeared in a series of sculptures and paintings and became a symbol of an imperfect humanity hurtling into the future. Mr. Trova was largely known as a sculptor, but his “Falling Man,” a standard of Pop Art, began life as a painted figure, taking shape on his easel in the early 1960s. Faceless, armless, with a hint of a belly and, its name notwithstanding, of indeterminate sex, the figure struck a variety of poses, sometimes juxtaposed with other like figures, sometimes with mechanical appendages.
In October 1963 his one-man show, “Falling Man Paintings,” was the inaugural exhibition of the Pace Gallery on West 57th Street in Manhattan; it sold out, with the works purchased by the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum, the architect Philip Johnson and others. In three dimensions, the “Falling Man” figure was made from different materials over the years — nickel and chrome-plated bronze, enamel on aluminum, stainless steel — and often, like the Oscar statuette, was polished to an industrial sheen. It was clearly a space age creation, a forerunner of C3PO, the golden robot in “Star Wars.”
“He found the space age both inspiring and dehumanizing,” Arne Glimcher, who founded the Pace Gallery, now PaceWildenstein, said in an interview on Friday. By the end of the 1960s, “Falling Man” had become Mr. Trova’s trademark, provoking Hilton Kramer, the art critic of The New York Times, to write that Mr. Trova had subjected his favorite figure “to almost as many variations as the Kama Sutra describes for the act of love.”
Ernest Tino Trova Jr. was born in St. Louis on Feb. 19, 1927. Shortly after his high school graduation his father, an industrial tool designer and inventor, died, and young Ernie, as he was known, went to work, most significantly as a window dresser for a department store. His early paintings were in the Abstract Expressionist mode, but his attentiveness to the mannequins had an influence on his art. Through the 1970s and 1980s he continued with “Falling Man,” though he also became interested in formalized, almost mechanical-seeming landscapes, and the figures began to appear, reduced in size, within the context of abstractly rendered gardens.
A self-taught artist with an impish wit and an eccentric turn of mind, Mr. Trova craved the recognition that was available to artists only in New York City, but he never visited for more than a week at a time and made almost no friends among New York artists. He did befriend Ezra Pound. As a fevered fan of Julio Iglesias, he went to the singer’s concerts all over the United States. “Ernie had a fabulous fantasy life,” Richard Solomon, the president of Pace Prints, the publishing arm of PaceWildenstein, said in an interview. “He had a persona he used to hide behind that he called ‘Junior Person.’ He was a wonderful man, but an oddball to beat the band.”
Mr. Trova left the Pace Gallery in the mid-1980s and signed with an inexperienced dealer in St. Louis. His profile went into decline, except in his hometown, where his donation of many of his works helped create the Laumeier Sculpture Park. He continued to work until shortly before his death. Most recently he was making collages using magazine...
Category
20th Century Ernest Trova Art
Materials
Stainless Steel
1969 Ernest Trova 'Man is Only a Memory' Pop Art Silk-screen
By Ernest Trova
Located in Brooklyn, NY
“Man is Only a Memory” is a captivating silkscreen by Ernest Trova, published in 1969 by Multiples, Inc. This artwork, part of a small edition of fewer than 300 pieces, was created f...
Category
1960s Pop Art Ernest Trova Art
Materials
Screen
Hardback monograph of renowned sculptor: TROVA (hand signed by Ernest Trova)
By Ernest Trova
Located in New York, NY
Ernest Tino Trova
TROVA (hand signed by Ernest Trova), 1978
Hardback monograph with dust jacket (hand signed by Ernest Trova)
Hand signed by Ernest Trova on the half title page
11 × ...
Category
1970s Abstract Ernest Trova Art
Materials
Paper, Ink, Mixed Media, Lithograph, Offset
Double Flapman
By Ernest Trova
Located in Boca Raton, FL
AP 2
Ernest Trova was an artist whose signature creation, a gleaming humanoid known as “Falling Man,” appeared in a series of sculptures and paintings and became a symbol of an imperfect humanity hurtling into the future. Mr. Trova was largely known as a sculptor, but his “Falling Man,” a standard of Pop Art, began life as a painted figure, taking shape on his easel in the early 1960s. Faceless, armless, with a hint of a belly and, its name notwithstanding, of indeterminate sex, the figure struck a variety of poses, sometimes juxtaposed with other like figures, sometimes with mechanical appendages.
In October 1963 his one-man show, “Falling Man Paintings,” was the inaugural exhibition of the Pace Gallery on West 57th Street in Manhattan; it sold out, with the works purchased by the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum, the architect Philip Johnson and others. In three dimensions, the “Falling Man” figure was made from different materials over the years — nickel and chrome-plated bronze, enamel on aluminum, stainless steel — and often, like the Oscar statuette, was polished to an industrial sheen. It was clearly a space age creation, a forerunner of C3PO, the golden robot in “Star Wars.”
“He found the space age both inspiring and dehumanizing,” Arne Glimcher, who founded the Pace Gallery, now PaceWildenstein, said in an interview on Friday. By the end of the 1960s, “Falling Man” had become Mr. Trova’s trademark, provoking Hilton Kramer, the art critic of The New York Times, to write that Mr. Trova had subjected his favorite figure “to almost as many variations as the Kama Sutra describes for the act of love.”
Ernest Tino Trova Jr. was born in St. Louis on Feb. 19, 1927. Shortly after his high school graduation his father, an industrial tool designer and inventor, died, and young Ernie, as he was known, went to work, most significantly as a window dresser for a department store. His early paintings were in the Abstract Expressionist mode, but his attentiveness to the mannequins had an influence on his art. Through the 1970s and 1980s he continued with “Falling Man,” though he also became interested in formalized, almost mechanical-seeming landscapes, and the figures began to appear, reduced in size, within the context of abstractly rendered gardens.
A self-taught artist with an impish wit and an eccentric turn of mind, Mr. Trova craved the recognition that was available to artists only in New York City, but he never visited for more than a week at a time and made almost no friends among New York artists. He did befriend Ezra Pound. As a fevered fan of Julio Iglesias...
Category
20th Century Contemporary Ernest Trova Art
Materials
Stainless Steel
The Encounter
By Ernest Trova
Located in Missouri, MO
Ernest Trova
"The Encounter" 1994
Chrome Plated Steel
Approx 24 x 26 x 24 inches
Edition 1/8
Known for his Falling Man series in abstract figural sculpture, he created hard-edge ima...
Category
1990s American Modern Ernest Trova Art
Materials
Stainless Steel
Price Upon Request
Related Items
Six Vintage Stainless Steel Sculptural Dining Chairs Sculpture Mid-Century Set 6
Located in New York, NY
Six Vintage Stainless Steel Sculptural Dining Chairs Sculpture Mid-Century Set
Kings and Queens could feats on these sculptures, this stunning set of six dining chairs. They are art...
Category
1950s Modern Ernest Trova Art
Materials
Stainless Steel
$8,500
H 30 in W 19 in D 19 in
Painting with Two Balls I /// Pop Art Jasper Johns Minimalism Colorful Modern
By Jasper Johns
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: (after) Jasper Johns (American, 1930-)
Title: "Painting with Two Balls I"
Series: Facsimile Catalogue of Jasper Johns Prints
*Issued unsign...
Category
1970s Abstract Ernest Trova Art
Materials
Laid Paper, Lithograph, Offset
$800
H 22.88 in W 17.5 in
"Altered States of an Autorittrati" 3rd State, Modernist Blue Self-Portrait
By I. Colon
Located in Soquel, CA
Bold modernist self portrait in blue, a lithograph by California artist I. Colon (20th Century). Numbered, titled, and signed along the bottom edge ("2/6 "Altered States of an Aut...
Category
Late 20th Century Abstract Impressionist Ernest Trova Art
Materials
Paper, Ink, Lithograph
$399 Sale Price
20% Off
H 18 in W 14 in D 0.25 in
Road Trip- desktop 11/50- Kevin Box and Beth Johnson
By Kevin Box
Located in Napa, CA
It took two years of tireless experimentation for me to develop the process of casting paper into bronze, another seven years to perfect, and it continues to evolve today.” - Kevin B...
Category
2010s Contemporary Ernest Trova Art
Materials
Bronze, Stainless Steel
"Orange Row", Abstract Geometric Minimalist Composition w Ovals, Limited Edition
By Geoffrey Bowman
Located in Soquel, CA
"Orange Row", Abstract Geometric Minimalist Composition w Ovals, Limited Edition
Delicate and perfect ovals in orange, yellow, red, and blue are purposefully arranged on lined paper...
Category
1990s Abstract Geometric Ernest Trova Art
Materials
Paper, Ink, Lithograph, Etching
$556 Sale Price
20% Off
H 32 in W 20 in D 0.25 in
"Les Mexicaines" / "Mexicans"
By Bernard Cathelin
Located in Berlin, MD
Bernard Cathelin (French 1919-2004) "Les Mexicaines" Colored Lithograph on Rice Paper.
A peaceful impressionistic scene of three Mexican women in the street.
Red. Orange. Black. W...
Category
Late 20th Century Abstract Impressionist Ernest Trova Art
Materials
Rice Paper, Lithograph
Abstract Black and White Luminogram Print of Central Park in New York City
Located in London, GB
Central Park is part of a group of prints based on a visit to New York City, Because I live and work in quiet isolation and often don't meet anyone apa...
Category
2010s Abstract Geometric Ernest Trova Art
Materials
Photogram, Silver Gelatin, Archival Paper, Black and White, Photographic...
$5,480
H 22.84 in W 18.71 in D 1.58 in
“New Place” Limited Print - Edition of 58 by Frank Arnold
By Frank Arnold
Located in Fresno, CA
Frank Arnold is thought by many to be one of the foremost abstract figurative painters and sculptors of our time. He is a living master whose work is considered to be both personal a...
Category
2010s Abstract Ernest Trova Art
Materials
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
Signed Print of “Cabo Kiss 8”
By Frank Arnold
Located in Fresno, CA
Frank Arnold is thought by many to be one of the foremost abstract figurative painters and sculptors of our time. He is a living master whose work is considered to be both personal a...
Category
2010s Abstract Ernest Trova Art
Materials
Archival Paper, Archival Pigment, Archival Ink
Watermelon /// Andy Warhol Space Fruit Still Lifes Pop Art Screenprint Food Art
By Andy Warhol
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Andy Warhol (American, 1928-1987)
Title: "Watermelon"
Portfolio: Space Fruit: Still Lifes
*Signed and numbered by Warhol in felt pen lower left
Year: 1979
Medium: Original Sc...
Category
1970s Pop Art Ernest Trova Art
Materials
Board, Screen
$38,000
H 30.07 in W 40.07 in
“Cuba 8” Limited Print • Edition of 58 by Frank Arnold
By Frank Arnold
Located in Fresno, CA
Frank Arnold is thought by many to be one of the foremost abstract figurative painters and sculptors of our time. He is a living master whose work is considered to be both personal a...
Category
2010s Abstract Ernest Trova Art
Materials
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
Expo 1970 World Exhibition in Osaka – Original Vintage Japanese Poster
By Yusaku Kamekura
Located in Zurich, CH
Original Vintage Event Poster created 1967 by one of the best known Japanese graphic artists, Yusaku Kamekura; in 1960 he was a founding member, then ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Abstract Geometric Ernest Trova Art
Materials
Paper
$1,670
H 40.75 in W 28.75 in D 0.04 in
Previously Available Items
Pop Art Lithograph “Falling man”, study 1 by Ernest Trova
By Ernest Trova
Located in Pasadena, CA
Ernest Trova was a self-trained American artist blending elements of Pop Art and Surrealism. He profoundly influenced the art world with his expressive and innovative creations. Amon...
Category
Mid-20th Century Pop Art Ernest Trova Art
Materials
Lithograph
H 24.25 in W 24.25 in D 1.75 in
FALLING MAN GOX (SCULPTURE)
By Ernest Trova
Located in Aventura, FL
Bronze and steel sculpture with black patination, on black acrylic base. Etched artist signature with title, date and edition to base underside. Published by Pace Editions. From t...
Category
1970s Pop Art Ernest Trova Art
Materials
Bronze, Steel
1972 Ernest Trova 'Falling Man' Pop Art Blue, Red USA Serigraph
By Ernest Trova
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Paper Size: 25.75 x 25.75 inches ( 65.405 x 65.405 cm )
Image Size: 24.5 x 24.5 inches ( 62.23 x 62.23 cm )
Framed: No
Condition: A: Mint
Additional Details: Limited edition s...
Category
1970s Ernest Trova Art
Materials
Screen
H 25.75 in W 25.75 in D 0.1 in
1969 Ernest Trova 'Man is Only a Memory' Pop Art Silk-screen
By Ernest Trova
Located in Brooklyn, NY
“Man is Only a Memory” is a captivating silkscreen by Ernest Trova, published in 1969 by Multiples, Inc. This artwork, part of a small edition of fewer than 300 pieces, was created f...
Category
1960s Pop Art Ernest Trova Art
Materials
Screen
H 15 in W 15 in D 0.1 in
1972 Ernest Trova 'Falling Man' Pop Art Blue, Red USA Serigraph
By Ernest Trova
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Paper Size: 25.75 x 25.75 inches ( 65.405 x 65.405 cm )
Image Size: 24.5 x 24.5 inches ( 62.23 x 62.23 cm )
Framed: No
Condition: A: Mint
Additional Details: Limited edition s...
Category
1970s Ernest Trova Art
Materials
Screen
H 25.75 in W 25.75 in D 0.1 in
Walking Man with Disc
By Ernest Trova
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Beautiful figural sculpture by American artist, Ernest Tino Trova (1927-2009). Walking Man with Disc (working study), 1966. Brass sheet with cut-out figure in profile, sheet measures...
Category
Mid-20th Century Abstract Ernest Trova Art
Materials
Brass
Shadows, Planes and Targets
By Ernest Trova
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Shadows, Planes and Targets
Screen print, 1972
Unsigned (as usual for this format)
Screen print announcement for Pace Columbus exhibition of Trova's artwork, 1972, announcing the por...
Category
1970s American Modern Ernest Trova Art
Materials
Screen
Pace Editions Prospectus for F. M. Manscapes Portfolio
By Ernest Trova
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Unsigned
Note: This is the lithograph announcement for the publication of the F. M. Manscapes Portfolio of 10 original screen prints, published in an edition of 175 portfolios. The...
Category
1970s Abstract Ernest Trova Art
Materials
Lithograph
TRISTAN GOX (SCULPTURE)
By Ernest Trova
Located in Aventura, FL
Steel and bronze sculpture. Inscribed signature and numbered. Artwork is in excellent condition. Certificate of authenticity included. Edition of 125. All reasonable offers will be...
Category
1970s Pop Art Ernest Trova Art
Materials
Bronze, Steel
Ernest Trova art for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Ernest Trova art available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Ernest Trova in metal, stainless steel, paper and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the contemporary style. Not every interior allows for large Ernest Trova art, so small editions measuring 9 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Richard Tuttle, Peter Reginato, and Robert Holmes. Ernest Trova art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $250 and tops out at $55,000, while the average work can sell for $6,600.