Growing 1981 Larry Rivers !new!

: The film focuses on the daily lives of Rivers' two daughters, Gwynne and Emma, during their adolescent years.

Defenders or scholars analyzing the work from a formal perspective might argue that Growing fits within a long tradition of artists documenting the maturation of their subjects. The consistent, periodic filming (every six months) mirrors the scientific or observational nature of a diary. It aims to capture the transition from childhood to womanhood—the "growing" process—in a raw, un-sanitized manner. Ethical Perspectives and Critiques

. The film is a primary source of controversy and discussion regarding Rivers' life and artistic ethics. Report on the 1981 Film by Larry Rivers

After the content of the tapes became public, NYU announced it did not want the footage

The case became a landmark discussion in the art world, prompting biographers and critics to evaluate the line between artistic expression and the protection of minors. It serves as a study of how cultural standards and legal understandings of consent have evolved since the late 20th century. growing 1981 larry rivers

The controversy resurfaced in 2010, nearly a decade after Rivers’ death, when New York University (NYU) was in the process of acquiring the extensive Larry Rivers Foundation archive.

The Vanity Fair article describes the film as a project where Rivers "used [video] mainly to explore sexual taboos". The footage depicts the adolescent girls at a highly vulnerable stage of life, discussing intimate details about their physical development while being partially undressed on camera. One daughter has stated that the process included being told to touch themselves or roll in bedsheets. For Rivers, this was an artistic project akin to his paintings, a documentary study of natural growth. For his daughters, however, it was a very different experience—one they say has haunted them into adulthood. The title "Growing" thus takes on a dark double meaning: it describes both the physical changes being documented and the escalating psychological damage being inflicted.

By the late 1970s and early 1980s, Larry Rivers was a established, albeit provocative, figure in the New York art scene. His work often challenged the boundary between the public and the private. "Growing" represents a significant departure from his canvases into the realm of early film portraiture.

The series is often cited as a landmark case in the ethical debate regarding familial subjects in art. It serves as a cautionary example of how the pursuit of artistic documentation can clash with the fundamental rights and consent of the subjects, particularly when those subjects are minors within a family structure. 4. Conclusion : The film focuses on the daily lives

By 1981, Rivers edited the accumulated footage into a . He added professional screen credits and planned to display the video prominently at an upcoming public exhibition of his paintings. However, the girls' mother, Clarice Rivers, strongly objected to the public display. Yielding to her pressure, Rivers shelved the project, leaving the tapes unreleased in his personal archive until after his death in 2002.

Growing was not a painting or a sculpture, but a film project capturing the physical development of his young daughters over several years. The Conception of "Growing" (1976–1981)

The project returned to public discourse in 2010 when New York University (NYU) acquired the artist's personal archives. This led to a public discussion regarding the rights of the individuals depicted in the footage versus the preservation of an artist's body of work: Request for Removal

The work returned to public consciousness in 2010 when the Larry Rivers Foundation sought to include the artist’s full archives in a sale to New York University (NYU). This move triggered a significant legal and ethical dispute: It aims to capture the transition from childhood

The subjects of the work have expressed differing views, with his daughter Emma publicly criticizing the project's impact on her well-being. She has described the filming process as intrusive and damaging, highlighting a profound conflict between an artist's creative freedom and the privacy and protection of their children.

Do you need the or price estimates for similar Rivers pieces? Share public link

: The daughters spent decades in therapy processing the emotional fallout of their father's actions.

┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ "GROWING" (1981) │ ├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ • Artist: Larry Rivers (1923–2002) │ │ • Production Window: 1976 – 1981 │ │ • Subjects: Daughters Emma and Gwynne │ │ • Format: 45-minute edited video loop │ │ • Legal Status: Permanently restricted from public eye │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ The Origins and Concept of "Growing"

: The footage was eventually compiled into a 45-minute edited piece in 1981, intended for public exhibition alongside his visual art.