ERNEST TROVA (1927-2009)
Study/Falling Man (Flapman)
1970
stainless steel, impressed 'E. TROVA 1970' and numbered 'A.P. 2-2', aside from the edition of 8
height 26 1/2in (67.3cm); width 12in (30.5cm); depth 12in (30.5cm)
Footnotes:
Accompanied by a pair of handling gloves and hex wrench for adjustments of elements.

Ernest Trova was a self-taught artist who lived his entire life in Missouri but received international recognition in his lifetime by some of the most important institutions in contemporary art. Although he began his career as a painter, he is primarily known for his sculptural Falling Man series, of which this sculpture is a fine example. Possibly inspired by the mannequins used during his time working as a window dresser at the Famous-Barr department store, these faceless, armless, repetitive male figures are the dominating motif in his oeuvre. They appear in diminutive sculptures and as monolithic objects, the same figure juxtapozed in an almost surrealist fashion, fracturing apart and confronting itself in a space outside of reality. Trova's works are held in the Museum of Modern Art, Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Guggenheim Museum, among other prestigious institutions.