Ernest Trova

American · 1927–2009 · Painter, Printmaker

Ernest Tino Trova 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… (Wikipedia)

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116lots offered1995–2026years recorded91%sold (96)$1.8kSign up free to seemedian price

2 works by Ernest Trova with an auction history (offered more than once) →

Record prices

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Falling ManWright · Feb 2009$18,750≈ £13,074≈ €14,669Sign up to see
Study/Falling Man (Radical Hinge Figure #2)Bonhams · Jul 2022$16,575≈ £13,687≈ €16,375Sign up to see
Study/Falling Man (Flapman)Bonhams · Oct 2023$12,160≈ £9,953≈ €11,437Sign up to see

Ernest Trova’s highest prices recorded at auction, ranked in US dollars at each sale-date exchange rate and shown in the currency of the sale (with the buyer’s premium where the house publishes it).

ArtSell has recorded 106 auction results for Ernest Trova between 1995 and 2026, of which 96 sold (91%). A further 10 lots were offered at auction without a published result. Recorded sale prices range from $39Sign up free to see to $18.8kSign up free to see. The highest price recorded is $18.8kSign up free to see for Falling Man at Wright in February 2009. The most common medium is sculpture (35 lots). Most results come from Wright (25), Rago Auctions (16) and Bonhams (16).

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Longest side– Editioned With imagesReset

108 results · page 1 of 3

Untitled (Blue)
Oil · Canvas
23 h x 23 w in (58 x 58 cm)
Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) · Aug 18, 2026 · Lot 186
$1,264≈ £934≈ €1,092Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $1,200–View at Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) ↗
Untitled (three works from Study/Falling Man Series I portfolio; one work from Study/Falling Man Series II portfolio), 1967
Screenprint
24 h x 24 w in (61 x 61 cm)
Rago Auctions · Mar 13, 2026 · Lot 293
$762≈ £574≈ €664Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $600–View at Rago Auctions ↗
Man is Only a Memory, 1969
Screenprint
7 h x 7 w in (18 x 18 cm)
Rago Auctions · Mar 13, 2026 · Lot 294
$64≈ £48≈ €56Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $100–View at Rago Auctions ↗
STUDY , FALLING MAN 1 Triptych
Painting
Palm Beach Modern Auctions · Feb 21, 2026 · Lot 381
$5,120≈ £3,798≈ €4,351Price realizedSign up free to seeView at Palm Beach Modern Auctions ↗
Untitled (from the Canto series)
Sculpture
14 h x 14½ w x 34 d in (36 x 37 x 86 cm)
Rago Auctions · Dec 10, 2025 · Lot 154
$3,048≈ £2,290≈ €2,620Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $2,000–View at Rago Auctions ↗
Abstract Variation
Sculpture
Palm Beach Modern Auctions · Nov 15, 2025 · Lot 69
$2,176≈ £1,652≈ €1,868Price realizedSign up free to seeView at Palm Beach Modern Auctions ↗
Man With Multiple Panels
Sculpture
Palm Beach Modern Auctions · Nov 15, 2025 · Lot 70
$2,560≈ £1,944≈ €2,198Price realizedSign up free to seeView at Palm Beach Modern Auctions ↗
Untitled
Screenprint · ed. 41/90
24" x 27.5" & Framed 32" x 36"
Clarke Auction Gallery · Sep 25, 2025 · Lot 175
$150≈ £112≈ €128HammerSign up free to seeEst. $100–1,000View at Clarke Auction Gallery ↗
Untitled
Screenprint
38" x 28" & Framed: 44" x 35"
Clarke Auction Gallery · Sep 25, 2025 · Lot 176
$225≈ £168≈ €192HammerSign up free to seeEst. $100–1,000View at Clarke Auction Gallery ↗
Untitled
Screenprint · ed. 22/150
37.5" x 30" & Framed: 44.5" x 36.5"
Clarke Auction Gallery · Sep 25, 2025 · Lot 177
$250≈ £186≈ €213HammerSign up free to seeEst. $100–1,000View at Clarke Auction Gallery ↗

Also offered, result not published (10)

Lots by Ernest Trova that were offered at auction where the house did not publish whether they sold. Not counted in any statistics.

Ernest Trova paintings (21)Ernest Trova oil paintings (9)Ernest Trova acrylic paintings (9)Ernest Trova prints (31)Ernest Trova screenprints (30)Ernest Trova sculpture (35)

Ernest Trova: quick facts

What is the highest price paid for a work by Ernest Trova at auction?

$18,750Sign up free to see, for Falling Man at Wright (February 2009) — the highest price in ArtSell’s records.

What is a typical auction price for Ernest Trova?

The median sale price is $1.8kSign up free to see across 94 priced sales. Prices vary by medium, size and date — see the price chart & statistics.

How many works by Ernest Trova have sold at auction?

96 of 106 recorded lots sold between 1995 and 2026. 10 further lots were offered with no published result and are not counted.

Which auction houses sell Ernest Trova?

Wright, Rago Auctions and Bonhams account for the most recorded results. Wright · Rago Auctions · Bonhams

Ernest Trova signature

38 catalogued lots by Ernest Trova record a signature line. The most common placement is lower right (50% of lots that state a placement). Most often: signed.

Placement

lower right5
along the bottom2
on the reverse1
on the base1
in the margin1

Form

signed27
signed and dated6
signed in pencil4
monogrammed1

Signed with the artist's monogram and numbered (Artist's Proof IX) to the reverse — Falling Man: Suspended Relief, 1969 Brass and, Circle Auction, Mar 15, 2025
Signed in pencil: Trova 1969 — Untitled, DuMouchelles, Mar 15, 2024
Signed and dated with an edition of 34/75 in the lower right — Falling Man Variant, DuMouchelles, Apr 18, 2025

Ernest Trova signature: all forms and examples →

About Ernest Trova

Ernest Tino Trova 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 used classic American comic character toys in some of his pieces because he admired their surrealism. Many of Trova's sculptures are cast in unusual white bronze. He began as a painter, progressing through three-dimensional constructions to his mature medium, sculpture. Trova's gift of forty of his works led to the opening of St. Louis County, Missouri's Laumeier Sculpture Park.

From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.