Growing 1981 Larry Rivers [exclusive] Jun 2026

Works that explicitly deal with figurative narrative and identity—hallmarks of Rivers’ legacy—perform significantly better than his purely decorative exercises. The Enduring Legacy of Larry Rivers

Rivers originally intended for the film to be played in a continuous loop during a 1981 exhibition of his paintings. However, he was dissuaded by the girls' mother, Clarice Rivers , and the footage remained unexhibited during his lifetime. The Modern Controversy The series resurfaced in 2010 when New York University (NYU) was in the process of purchasing Rivers' archive from the Larry Rivers Foundation Daughters' Stance:

While the project concluded in 1981, accounts indicate that there were significant familial objections to the nature of the filming during its production. 2010 Scandal: The NYU Archive Dispute

"Growing" is not about puberty; it is about power. It captures the final, tragic act of a man who spent a lifetime bridging the gap between high art and low instinct, and in doing so, crossed a line from which even art history cannot redeem him.

Aside from the completion of the "Growing" project, 1981 was a significant year for Rivers' established career: Bio - Larry Rivers Foundation growing 1981 larry rivers

Rivers rejected the digital future (the early 80s saw the rise of the PC and early digital art). He insisted on the hand. In Growing , the hand is shaky, insistent, and sometimes ugly. That ugliness is the truth.

Growing was a multi-year documentary project where Rivers filmed his two daughters, Gwynne and Emma, at six-month intervals starting when they were roughly 11 years old. The footage, spanning from 1976 to 1981, recorded their physical development during puberty.

A nude male torso, likely a self-portrait of Rivers at age 58, though intentionally distorted. The skin is rendered in muddy pinks, ochres, and bruise-like purples. It is not a heroic, Michelangelo-esque body. Instead, it is a body in flux—sagging in some areas, unnaturally stretched in others. This is the "growing" body, but not outward; rather, it is growing heavier, older, and more complex.

By 1981, Rivers was a revered elder statesman of the art world, yet he refused to become a museum piece. His work in the late 1970s and early 1980s shifted toward increasingly complex multi-media compositions, airbrush techniques, and relief paintings. He began looking backward and forward simultaneously, reflecting on aging, family dynamics, and his own place in art history. It is against this backdrop that Growing was conceived. Decoding Growing (1981): Style and Technique Works that explicitly deal with figurative narrative and

After 1981, the materials were not immediately released to the public. Reports suggest that concerns within the family contributed to the project being set aside for several decades. It remained largely out of public view until after the artist's death.

The palette of Growing is distinctly indicative of the early 1980s. Moving away from the gritty, muddy tones of his 1950s work, Rivers employs a vibrant, almost electric color scheme. Searing neon pinks, bright yellows, and cool cerulean blues slice through fields of muted grays and whites. The color does not merely fill in the shapes; it acts as an emotional temperature gauge, highlighting specific figures or psychological tension points within the composition. Thematic Depth: What Does "Growing" Mean?

To understand Growing , one must remember the state of the art world in 1981. Neo-Expressionism was beginning to boil over in Germany and Italy (Baselitz, Kiefer, Chia), while in New York, the graffiti-inspired work of Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring was crashing the gallery scene. Minimalism had run its course.

NYU requested that the Larry Rivers Foundation remove the Growing series from the acquisition. Artforum reported that the university returned the films to the estate, citing concerns over the subjects' privacy and the ethics of the documentation. Artistic Freedom vs. Personal Privacy The Modern Controversy The series resurfaced in 2010

Larry Rivers (1923-2002) was born Yitzroch Loiza Grossberg in the Bronx. Before he was a painter, he was a professional jazz saxophonist who even changed his stage name while playing in clubs. This musical background is essential because it shaped his "brash, improvisational" approach to art.

: In recent years, his daughter Emma Tamburlini has publicly stated she felt extremely uncomfortable and did not consent to the filming.

Unearthing a Masterpiece: The History, Context, and Market Value of Larry Rivers’ Growing (1981)