Daughter Demands Topless Films by Artist Dad

A daughter of the late artist Larry Rivers is battling New York University to take control of topless videos of her shot by her father when she was an adolescent. A trove of Rivers' works purchased by NYU includes extensive film of his two young daughters, naked or topless, being interviewed by him about their developing breasts. Daughter Emma Tamburlini, now 43, says she was forced by her father to participate, and is demanding the films be returned to her and her sister, referring to the work as "child pornography." She said the filming contributed to her becoming anorexic at 16. “It wrecked a lot of my life, actually,” Tamburlini added.

Rivers filmed his daughters every 6 months over a period of at least 5 years for a project he entitled “Growing.” Rivers told the girls to take off their clothes and zoomed in on their breasts from various angles as he asked them how they felt about their breasts and whether boys noticed them, according to his daughter. If Tamburlini objected, she was called uptight and a bad daughter, she tells the New York Times. The girls are notably self-conscious in the films. NYU officials have agreed to discuss Tamburlini's request.
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