Ernest Trova

Ernest Tino Trova (February 19, 1927 – March 8, 2009) was a self-trained American surrealist and pop art painter and sculptor.

Best known for his signature image and figure series, The Falling Man, Trova considered his entire output a single "work in progress."

Trova's gift of forty of his works led to the opening of St. Louis County, Missouri's Laumeier Sculpture Park.

His father, an industrial tool designer and inventor, died shortly after Trova graduated from high school.

[2][3] His interest in poetry led him to begin a correspondence with Ezra Pound, who had been confined to St. Elizabeths Hospital in Washington, D.C., after World War II.

Trova created multiple versions of The Falling Man, including variant sculptures and wristwatches with images of the piece.

"[1] A major exhibit of Trova's works was presented in 1969 at the Pace Gallery, with reviewer Hilton Kramer of The New York Times calling it one whose size and scope "befits an artist currently enjoying a huge success".

[1] A resident of Richmond Heights, Missouri, Trova died at age 82 on March 8, 2009, due to congestive heart failure.