Growing 1981 Larry Rivers =link= -

: It explores the themes of aging, bodily changes, and the evolving relationship between a father and his children.

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:

, the footage often shows them topless or naked while Rivers asks them questions about their changing bodies and sexuality. Intent vs. Reality: growing 1981 larry rivers

Oil and charcoal on canvas, approx. 72 x 80 in.

The project is frequently cited in academic and artistic circles as a primary example of the ethical complexities surrounding consent and the boundaries of parental and artistic authority. : It explores the themes of aging, bodily

Growing is not a pleasant picture. It is a necessary one. It asks the viewer: Are you growing, or are you just getting older? And it refuses to answer the question for you.

Furthermore, the painting engages with the theme of mortality. By 1981, Rivers had outlived many of his peers (Jackson Pollock, Frank O’Hara, Willem de Kooning was still alive but declining). The fungal, slightly morbid quality of the stalks—some appear to be wilting even as others grow—suggests a memento mori. Growth implies decay; creation implies destruction. This dualism is central to understanding Rivers’ late work: he refuses the purely heroic or purely nihilistic stance. Intent vs

: In 2010, following a request from one of Rivers' daughters, New York University (which held the artist's archives) agreed to return the "Growing" films and videos to the family.

Family members later spoke publicly about the lasting psychological effects of the filming sessions. One of the daughters described the experience as a source of significant personal distress during her youth.