The series documents the girls' physical development through puberty. According to reports from The New York Times Vanity Fair
The work has been the subject of significant ethical debate regarding the boundaries between art and the privacy of its subjects. Although created decades ago, it remained largely unseen for many years following concerns raised by the girls' mother. Archive and Privacy Rights growing 1981 larry rivers
A nude male torso, likely a self-portrait of Rivers at age 58, though intentionally distorted. The skin is rendered in muddy pinks, ochres, and bruise-like purples. It is not a heroic, Michelangelo-esque body. Instead, it is a body in flux—sagging in some areas, unnaturally stretched in others. This is the "growing" body, but not outward; rather, it is growing heavier, older, and more complex. The series documents the girls' physical development through
Beyond the Growing controversy, 1981 was a significant year for Rivers' established career: Archive and Privacy Rights A nude male torso,
Growing was a multi-year documentary project where Rivers filmed his two daughters, Gwynne and Emma, at six-month intervals starting when they were roughly 11 years old. The footage, spanning from 1976 to 1981, recorded their physical development during puberty.
: 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.