The film was not publicly screened during Rivers' lifetime. Reports indicate that family members and close associates expressed immediate concern regarding the nature of the footage and the potential for public outcry. Consequently, the tapes remained in the artist’s private archives for decades.
Growing (1981) stands as a monument to an artist who refused to stop evolving. It is a visual symphony of a life lived intensely, captured through the lens of an artist who knew that to stay alive in art, one must never stop growing. For art historians, it remains a vital text; for collectors, a prize of postmodern innovation; and for viewers, a poignant meditation on the beautiful, messy process of human development.
The controversy did not fade. In 2023, a new documentary titled premiered, revisiting the artist's entire life and legacy, with a significant portion dedicated to "Growing" and its aftermath. The film does not shy away from the difficult questions, featuring interviews with Rivers' children (including his son) who reflect on the complex and often painful nature of their father's behavior.
When Rivers turned to painting in the late 1940s, studying under the legendary abstractionist Hans Hofmann, New York was firmly in the grip of Abstract Expressionism. Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning dominated the discourse. While Rivers deeply admired de Kooning’s aggressive brushwork, he rejected the absolute elimination of the figure.
The Growing series involved filming his daughters, Gwynne and Emma Rivers, at six-month intervals starting around 1976. The project continued through roughly 1981, tracking their physical development through adolescence. growing 1981 larry rivers
Larry Rivers, a figure often associated with the transition from Abstract Expressionism to Pop Art, was known for using his personal life as primary source material. In the mid-1970s, this inclination took a turn that would later be heavily scrutinized.
During the filming sessions, Rivers required his daughters to appear topless or entirely naked. Behind the camera, he frequently asked probing questions and offered commentary regarding their bodies.
It seems you're interested in information about Larry Rivers, an American artist known for his work in painting, sculpture, and other media, particularly in the context of his artistic development or specific works from around 1981. Larry Rivers (1925-2002) was a significant figure in American art, often associated with the Pop Art movement, although his work spanned a broad range of styles and themes.
Rivers never hid his love of the human figure. In many versions of the Growing series from 1981, the base of the plant curls inward in a way that mimics torsos or embracing limbs. Rivers is using botany as a disguise to paint the one subject that obsessed him for 50 years: the awkward, vital, decaying human body. The film was not publicly screened during Rivers' lifetime
Born in the Bronx in 1923 to Jewish-Ukrainian immigrant parents, Larry Rivers seemed destined for a life less ordinary. He first pursued a career as a jazz saxophonist, a path that would profoundly influence his artistic style. After a stint in the army, he adopted the stage name Larry Rivers and pivoted to painting in 1945. He studied under the great Abstract Expressionist teacher Hans Hofmann, but Rivers' work always had a rebellious streak, pulling figurative representation back into an art world consumed by abstraction.
: Rivers was known for "smashing sexual taboos," previously painting his aging ex-mother-in-law naked in Double Portrait of Berdie Current Status & Legacy
In an era of AI-generated perfection and Instagram-filtered beauty, Growing (1981) feels prophetic. It reminds us that authentic growth—artistic or biological—is messy. It leaves scars. It leaves erased lines. It does not always make sense.
: The footage shows the girls either naked or topless as Rivers asks them questions about their changing bodies and budding sexuality. Growing (1981) stands as a monument to an
Why this subject in 1981? By the late 70s, Rivers had experienced the death of his mother, the end of several turbulent relationships, and the looming shadow of middle age. Growing is a meditation on the cruel joke of biology: that to live is to age.
These works are marked by their bold, vibrant colors and playful use of imagery. Rivers drew inspiration from a range of sources, including everyday objects, historical events, and even his own personal experiences. The 1981 series is notable for its sense of humor, wit, and irreverence, which set it apart from Rivers' earlier, more serious works.
: The project documented the physical maturation of his two daughters, Gwynne and Emma Tamburlini, over a five-year period from 1976 to 1981.