A group of six sculptures by renowned St. Louis surrealist Ernest Trova are among the highlights in Hindman’s Post War & Contemporary Art auction on December 14. Born in Clayton, Missouri in 1927, Trova lived and worked in St. Louis his entire life, leaving an indelible mark on the city’s art community.
His art career had humble beginnings as a decorator and window dresser at the Famous-Barr department store but his star began to rise quickly when he turned 20. That year, the very first work he ever exhibited won first prize in the Missouri Exhibition and was included in an issue of Life magazine shortly thereafter. Soon he was exhibiting his art in the prestigious Pace Gallery and was receiving international attention from some of the most important collectors and institutions in the world.
Trova’s most renowned form was The Falling Man, who first appeared in 1964. The series featured an armless male figure in various poses and media meant to illustrate the imperfection of man, perhaps a sleek space-age response to the idealized perfection of Leonardo Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man. Hindman’s auction features a dazzling golden toned example from the inception year of the series entitled Study/Falling Man (Walking Man), depicting a life sized version of Trova’s signature subject mid-stride. The 60-inch-tall sculpture is expected to fetch between $20,000 and $30,000 at auction.
Among the other standouts in the auction is a sizeable heavily textural pour painting by Larry Poons from the collections of Webster University in St. Louis being sold to benefit the student experience. The colorful and ethereal untitled 1975 acrylic on canvas is expected to sell for between $40,000 and $60,000. An early expressively gestural charcoal portrait of a woman by British artist Jenny Saville is also expected to draw significant interest and is estimated to sell for between $50,000 and $70,000.
Hindman’s Post War & Contemporary Art auction will begin at 10 a.m. CT at its Chicago saleroom on December 14. The auction will feature works by many art luminaries from the 20th and 21st centuries including St. Louis-native Arthur Osver, Ron Gorchov, Pat Steir, Hans Hofmann, Joe Goode, Kenneth Noland, Richard Tuttle, Cost, Viola Frey, Chris Ofili, Paul Reed, Donald Judd, Lois Dodd, Alex Katz, Tom Wesselmann, Gilbert and George and Cecily Brown. Bidding will be available via absentee bid, over the phone, or live on the Digital Bid Room, Hindman’s online and mobile bidding platform.
For more information, visit hindmanauctions.com.
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