Critics at the time noted that Growing felt like a visual argument with the poet Frank O'Hara (Rivers’ close friend and collaborator, who died in 1966). O’Hara’s poems are light, spontaneous, and joyous. Rivers’ Growing is heavy, labored, and anxious. It suggests that growth is not always upward; sometimes it is just expansion into emptiness.
: In recent years, his daughter Emma Tamburlini has publicly stated she felt extremely uncomfortable and did not consent to the filming.
(1981) is one of Larry Rivers' most controversial works, moving beyond his traditional canvas into the medium of film and video. While often categorized alongside his late 20th-century experimentation, the piece has sparked significant ethical debate regarding art, privacy, and the exploitation of family members. Overview of the Work
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:
Larry Rivers —the "Godfather of Pop Art" known for his restless, jazz-fueled approach to the canvas—unveiled a massive painting titled
: Unlike his famous "Pop Art" paintings, Growing was a series of films and videotapes edited into a final project in the early 1980s.
However, the experience had a significant impact on the subjects involved:
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