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.
At first glance, Growing appears to depict a humble domestic or botanical scene: a sprawling potted plant, perhaps a philodendron or monstera, unfurling across a tabletop. But Rivers was never a pure realist. The plant’s leaves are rendered with quick, slashing charcoal outlines, some partially filled with muted greens, others left as ghostly sketches. The background is a field of dirty cream, gray, and pale pink—washes that suggest a wall and table, but refuse to settle into stable depth.
In the sprawling narrative of 20th-century American art, Larry Rivers occupies a unique, often unclassifiable space. He was a proto-Pop artist who preceded Warhol, a figurative painter when Abstract Expressionism was king, and a poet who blurred the lines between text and image. To search for is to land squarely in the mature period of this iconoclast’s career—a moment where his technical bravado met a deep, often uncomfortable, introspection about time, mortality, and the body.
Using film allowed Rivers to document the ephemeral nature of growth, a theme that has long occupied artists, but his approach was intimate, topless, and frequently full-frontal nude. 2. Artistic Intentions: Documentation vs. Exploitation growing 1981 larry rivers
Upon completing the editing in 1981, Rivers faced immediate opposition. His former wife, Clarice Rivers, strongly objected to the film being shown publicly. Consequently, the project was suppressed and stored in private archives, remaining largely out of public view for several decades. Rediscovery and Public Debate
For collectors and students searching for , this piece is significant because it marks the transition between Rivers’ "History Painting" phase (1960s-70s) and his late "Nude" phase (1990s).
Compared to the Neo-Expressionists of the early 1980s, Growing is remarkably restrained. Where Schnabel used broken plates and aggressive scale, Rivers uses a modest, intimate format. Compared to the Pop Art he helped pioneer, Growing is deeply subjective. It lacks the cool irony of Andy Warhol’s Oxidation Paintings (also from the late 1970s), which used metallic paint and urine to simulate decay. Rivers’ decay is organic and sad, not mechanical and cynical. The painting is closer in spirit to the late works of Philip Guston, who also returned to a clumsy, cartoonish figuration in the 1970s to explore existential themes. Like Guston’s Painting, Smoking, Eating (1973), Rivers’ Growing finds profundity in the awkward, bodily act of living. The case became a landmark discussion in the
Fast-forward to 1981, a pivotal year in Rivers' career. At this time, he began experimenting with a new series of works that would become highly sought after by collectors and institutions. The 1981 series showcases Rivers' unique blend of Pop Art, Abstract Expressionism, and figurative painting.
At its core, the artwork deals with the biological reality of aging and development. Rivers frequently used his family—his wives, his children, and his famous mother-in-law, Berdie—as subjects. In Growing , the figures often represent different stages of human life, from youth to adulthood. By placing these varying ages on a single, continuous plane, Rivers collapses time, suggesting that our past selves are always co-existing with our present bodies. The Progression of Art History
: Emma Rivers (later Emma Tamburlini) publicly condemned the work, describing the filming process as coercive and detailing the long-term psychological distress it caused. She sought the return and destruction of the footage to protect her privacy. The Ethical and Artistic Debate But Rivers was never a pure realist
★★★★☆ (Highly recommended)
The year 1981 represents a complex, and often uncomfortable, footnote in the career of Larry Rivers (1923–2002), the celebrated "Godfather of Pop Art." Known for bridging Abstract Expressionism with pop imagery, Rivers was a restlessly innovative painter, sculptor, and filmmaker. However, a specific project—a series of filmed documents titled —has resurfaced decades later, transforming from a private artistic endeavor into a subject of significant ethical debate regarding consent, exploitation, and the boundaries of art.
Growing (1981) stands as a quintessential representation of Rivers' mature style. Measuring on a grand scale, the artwork demands physical presence from the viewer, mirroring the outsized personality of Rivers himself. The Fragmented Narrative