Ernest Tino Trova was a self-taught painter and sculptor, most famous for his Falling Man series. Born in a town just outside St. Louis, Trova lived his entire life in Missouri. After high school, he worked as department store decorator; upon observing Trova’s commercial work, art collector Morton D. May bought a painting, which was later donated to the Museum of Modern Art. In the 1960s, Trova created his first Falling Man: an armless, featureless figure that he repeatedly depicted in paintings and sculptures in a variety of configurations.