“Ernest Trova is twenty years old, lives with his parents and earns his living by decorating the windows of a St. Louis clothing store.”
The aforementioned sentence- which appeared in a 1947 edition of LIFE Magazine – was certainly not the most complimentary introduction for the man who would become world-renowned for his contribution to the world of visual arts.
His trademark mustache had yet to grow in, but there was a look on his face (including confident pursed lips and intense eyes that seared through his glasses) that said, “Remember this face, because you haven’t seen the last of me” with authority.
Turns out Trova’s facial expression on the small black and white photo as he stood alongside his then unknown piece, Roman Boy, was dead on.
Fast forward 60-plus years and “Roman Boy”, along with several other notable pieces by Trova are on display at White Flag Projects – a gallery in the heart of the Mangrove neighborhood– through Saturday.
Trova was discovered (and subsequently featured in LIFE) when visiting artist Max Beckmann selected his Roman Boy painting as the winner of the local museum’s annual exhibition.
The president of the St. Louis Artists’ Guild publicly declared self-taught artist Trova’s work fit only to “hang in an outhouse.”
And the rest is history.
By In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Ernest Trova was among the most widely acknowledged sculptors working in the United States, resulting in invitations to exhibit in three Whitney Annuals, three Venice Biennales, and Documenta 4 in Kassel, Germany.
Just over 20 years after his introduction by LIFE, Trova’s work was heralded by the New York Times in 1969 as “among the best of contemporary American sculpture,” and throughout those decades examples of his art were prominently displayed in dozens of major museums including the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis.
For more than two decades he was represented by the estimable Pace Gallery, which inaugurated its first New York space with an exhibition of his work.
But St. Louis was never lost in the shuffle as he continued to hear his praises harmoniously sung in by the international arts community.
When Henry H. Laumeier Memorial Park (which eventually became Laumeier Sculpture Park) opened to the public in 1975, Trova offered to make a gift of large sculptures as the beginning of a sculpture park and gallery. The gift of 40 sculptures was formalized on Dec. 11, 1975 and delivered in time for a special event that coincided with America’s Bicentennial in 1976.
In the 1980’s, a tragic business partnership led to a dismantling of his artistic legacy.
More than 1,300 pieces of Trova’s art were ordered to be destroyed when the partnership turned from bitter to malicious and forced Trova to take legal action.
More than half of them were unique sculptures and paintings. The former business partner had them destroyed, while all along paying the artist his commission on the ruined works as if they had been sold.
But White Flag Projects exhibit serves as a reminder of Trova’s genius and the scale of greatness that St. Louis can be attributed to.
Upon entry, Trova’s life-size bronze, Study/Falling Man (Wheelman) greets guests – just as it did visitors at the New York’s renowned Guggenheim’s 5th Avenue entrance.
Upon viewing his stunning paintings and sculptures, the unfortunate turn of events become an inconsequential side bar in the glorious of a brilliant artist.
In complete contrast to the “bling” of Study/Falling Man (Wheelman), the bronze piece “Three Women Poets (Walking)” is muddy and murky.
They could easily be elderly black women singing “Wade in the Water” or another of the Negro Spirituals as they carry on with their walking commute from a long days work.
The piece could also serve as illustration/homage to his love for blues music and symbolizes the experience of the residents of the neighborhood that White Flag Projects calls home.
Sadly, Trova passed away last year.
But if LIFE Magazine were to return to St. Louis and write a feature in retrospect of his career and the exhibit at White Flag Projects, one item in their debut of Trova would remain unchanged, because
“Ernest Trova still lives at home.”
Ernest Trova will be on display at White Flag Projects (4568 Manchester in the Mangrove neighborhood) through Saturday, July 17. For more information and gallery hours, visit http://www.white-flag-projects.org.
