Emma Tamburlini has publicly condemned the work, describing it as "nothing less than child pornography" and stating that the experience caused her long-term emotional distress and contributed to an eating disorder. NYU's Response:
: The project documented the physical maturation of his two daughters, Gwynne and Emma Tamburlini, over a five-year period from 1976 to 1981. growing 1981 larry rivers
. This project has become a central point of debate regarding the boundaries between art, privacy, and exploitation. Overview of the Series 1976 and 1981 , Rivers filmed his two adolescent daughters, Emma Tamburlini Gwynne Rivers , at six-month intervals. Emma Tamburlini has publicly condemned the work, describing
The title Growing invites a multitude of interpretations, functioning on personal, biological, and historical levels. Larry Rivers was an artist deeply invested in the human condition, and this piece tackles the concept of development from several angles. Maturation and Aging This project has become a central point of
Rivers was a poet as much as a painter. Scrawled across the lower right quadrant, in his infamous, jittery handwriting, are lines of verse. They read: "Growing / is the mistake / the body keeps making / until it stops." This dark, elegiac text reframes the entire painting. Growing is not a miracle; it is an accumulation of errors—wrinkles, scars, fat, memory.
In an era of AI-generated perfection and Instagram-filtered beauty, Growing (1981) feels prophetic. It reminds us that authentic growth—artistic or biological—is messy. It leaves scars. It leaves erased lines. It does not always make sense.
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ "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"
