Documentary Growing 1981 Larry R is a controversial film by the American artist Larry Rivers that explores his daughter's puberty. The film features footage of his daughter Emma Tamburlini, who was 11 to 16 years old at the time, posing topless and answering questions about her body and sexuality. The film caused a scandal in the art world and was criticized as exploitative and abusive.

The film was made between 1976 and 1981, when Rivers was living with his second wife Clarice Rivers and their two children, Emma and Gwynne Rivers. Rivers filmed his daughter Emma in various stages of her development, asking her to pose nude or partially nude in front of the camera. He also interviewed her about her feelings, thoughts, and experiences as a young woman. The film has no narration or music, only the voice of Rivers and his daughter.

The film sparked a controversy when it was shown at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York in 1992, as part of a retrospective of Rivers' work. Many critics and viewers denounced the film as a form of child pornography and child abuse, arguing that Rivers violated his daughter's privacy and dignity. Some also questioned the artistic merit and value of the film, calling it narcissistic and voyeuristic.

Emma Tamburlini, who was then 27 years old, publicly expressed her anger and resentment towards her father for making the film. She said that she felt humiliated and traumatized by the film, and that she had no consent or control over it. She also accused her father of being a pedophile and a rapist, claiming that he sexually abused her and her sister when they were children. She sued him for $25 million in damages, but the case was dismissed by a judge who ruled that the statute of limitations had expired.

Larry Rivers defended his film as an artistic expression of his love and fascination for his daughter. He said that he did not intend to harm or exploit her, but to document her growth and transformation. He also said that he did not force or coerce her to participate in the film, but that she agreed to do it willingly. He denied any allegations of sexual abuse, saying that they were false and motivated by money.

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