For contemporary viewers, Growing is a challenging film to locate. It was never released on commercial VHS or DVD on a wide scale. Most surviving prints are held in museum archives, including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York and the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art. Occasional screenings occur at retrospective programs of experimental cinema.
Regarding download: As of 2026, Growing is not legally available for download through mainstream platforms like Amazon, iTunes, or YouTube. It has not been digitized for public streaming by the Rivers estate. Some academic libraries may have 16mm or VHS reference copies, but these are not for public download. Any website claiming to offer a direct download of Growing (e.g., via torrents or file-hosting sites) is almost certainly hosting a bootleg copy—often of poor quality, missing segments, or incorrectly labeled. Due to its obscurity, fake downloads are common; users should be wary of malware or mislabeled files.
The most reliable way to view the film is to contact the Larry Rivers Foundation or inquire at the Film Study Center of the Museum of Modern Art for on-site viewing. For researchers and educators, interlibrary loan may provide access to a digitized preservation copy under fair use provisions.
If you want a legitimate copy for research or personal enjoyment, ignore the pirate sites (which typically host malware). Instead, follow these archival pathways:
The title Growing is deliberately ironic. While the film celebrates germination and expansion, it also acknowledges that all growth is followed by entropy. Rivers repeatedly cuts from vibrant seedlings to dying leaves, from a fresh canvas to a cluttered studio, from a child’s face to a weathered one. This duality reflects the artist’s lifelong engagement with mortality—his mother had died young, and his own body was beginning to show the wear of a hard-living artistic life.
Furthermore, Growing engages with a distinctly 1980s anxiety about technology and nature. As digital culture was beginning to emerge, Rivers’ hand-processed film stock and grainy textures stood as a defiantly analog meditation on organic process. The documentary implicitly argues that true growth—whether in a garden or in a work of art—cannot be accelerated or simulated; it requires time, decay, and patience.
Summary
Background on Larry Rivers
About the film
Reception & significance
Availability and "Download" considerations
Research and verification steps (recommended)
Conclusion (definitive findings)
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Introduction
"Growing" is a 1981 documentary film directed by Larry Rivers, an American artist and filmmaker. The film explores the artist's personal journey as he grows his own food and interacts with the natural world. The documentary is a thought-provoking and visually stunning exploration of the human relationship with nature, sustainability, and the artist's place within the world.
Background on Larry Rivers
Larry Rivers (1925-2001) was an American artist, filmmaker, and writer. He was a prominent figure in the New York City art scene, known for his work in painting, sculpture, and filmmaking. Rivers' artistic style often blended elements of Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, and realism. He was fascinated by the intersection of art and everyday life, which is reflected in his documentary work.
Synopsis of "Growing" (1981)
"Growing" is a 45-minute documentary film that follows Larry Rivers as he attempts to grow his own food on a plot of land in the Hudson Valley, New York. The film chronicles Rivers' experiences with gardening, from preparing the soil to harvesting his crops. Along the way, he reflects on the challenges and rewards of working with nature, and explores themes such as sustainability, self-sufficiency, and the human relationship with the environment.
Key Themes and Motifs
Visual Style and Cinematography
The documentary features a lyrical and introspective visual style, characterized by:
Legacy and Influence
"Growing" has been recognized as a pioneering work in the field of documentary filmmaking, influencing a generation of artists and filmmakers who explore themes of sustainability, environmentalism, and the human relationship with nature. The film has also been celebrated for its innovative storytelling, visual style, and poetic reflection. Documentary Growing 1981 Larry Rivers Download
Availability and Download
The documentary "Growing" (1981) by Larry Rivers is available for streaming and download on various online platforms, including:
Conclusion
"Growing" (1981) by Larry Rivers is a thought-provoking and visually stunning documentary that explores themes of sustainability, self-sufficiency, and the human relationship with nature. Through its lyrical and introspective visual style, the film offers a poetic reflection on the artist's place in the world, and the value of manual labor in a world dominated by technology. As a pioneering work in the field of documentary filmmaking, "Growing" continues to inspire artists, filmmakers, and environmentalists to this day.
The mention of "Growing 1981" could refer to a specific film, documentary, or project by Larry Rivers from that year. However, detailed information about such a specific project might be limited or hard to find without more context.
If you're looking to download a documentary or any content related to Larry Rivers from 1981, here are a few suggestions on where to start:
When looking to download content, always ensure you're using legitimate sources to respect the rights of creators and adhere to copyright laws.
If you have more details or a specific aspect of Larry Rivers or his work you're interested in, providing that information could help narrow down the search.
The search for a documentary specifically titled " " (1981) featuring Larry Rivers did not return a definitive result under that exact title. However, Larry Rivers was a significant subject of several art documentaries, and his 1981 period is well-documented.
The most prominent documentary work associated with him during this time is his participation in video art and self-chronicling. Rivers was known for pioneering the use of video to document his own life and social circle, leading to several "video-diaries" and art films. Notable Documentaries & Film Work
Larry Rivers Online (Vimeo): Rivers is featured in a series of art documentaries, including those inspired by his Dutch Masters paintings.
Legacy Series: Rivers participated in recorded discussions, such as with Arnold Weinstein, detailing his life in the 1960s and 70s as a central figure in the New York art scene. For contemporary viewers, Growing is a challenging film
Growing Up (Concept): While "Growing" might be a misremembered title, Rivers' work often focused on his family and "growing" children, most famously in his controversial "documentary" footage of his daughters, which was later explored in the film "Larry Rivers: Public and Private" (1992). Where to Find & Watch
If you are looking for video content of Rivers from the early 80s:
Vimeo On Demand: You can watch Larry Rivers' art-focused documentaries through their legacy collection.
YouTube: The Larry Rivers Foundation often uploads archival footage from the "Legacy Series".
Archives of American Art: For a "long review" or deep dive into his personal history, the Smithsonian Archives of American Art holds extensive oral history interviews that provide a narrative similar to a documentary review. Long Review Summary: Larry Rivers in 1981
By 1981, Larry Rivers was transitioning from the "bad boy" of Pop Art into an elder statesman of the New York school.
Style: His work at this time, such as the Dutch Masters series, blended his signature "smudged" draftsmanship with historical motifs.
Public Persona: He was frequently criticized and celebrated for his raw, often uncomfortable honesty regarding his family and personal life—a theme that likely would have been the core of any documentary titled "Growing."
Are you perhaps thinking of a specific film that featured his children, or LEGACY SERIES | Larry Rivers with Arnold Weinstein
As this is a somewhat obscure avant-garde film from 1981, it is not widely available on mainstream streaming platforms (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime). It occasionally surfaces on platforms like Kanopy (free with a library card) or is sold by specialty art-house distributors.
If you are downloading this from an archive or file-sharing site: