Larry Rivers facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Larry Rivers
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Rivers in 1961
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| Born |
Yitzroch Loiza Grossberg
August 17, 1923 New York City, U.S.
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| Died | August 14, 2002 (aged 78) Southampton, New York, U.S.
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| Education | Hans Hofmann School |
| Known for | Painting, sculpture |
| Movement | East Coast figurative painting, new realism, pop art |
| Spouse(s) |
Augusta Berger
(m. 1945; div. 1946)Clarice Price
(m. 1961; sep. 1967) |
Larry Rivers (born Yitzroch Loiza Grossberg; August 17, 1923 – August 14, 2002) was an American artist. He was also a musician, filmmaker, and sometimes an actor. Many people call him the "Godfather" or "Grandfather" of Pop art. He was one of the first artists to mix art that didn't show real things with art that did. He often combined abstract ideas with real-world objects in his paintings.
Becoming an Artist
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Larry Rivers was born as Yitzroch Loiza Grossberg in the Bronx, New York. His family were Jewish immigrants from Ukraine. He started painting in 1945. He studied art at the Hans Hofmann School from 1947 to 1948. Later, he earned a degree in art education from New York University in 1951.
His artwork quickly became popular. The Museum of Modern Art bought some of his pieces. One famous painting from 1953, called Washington Crossing the Delaware, was later damaged in a fire at the museum.
Rivers was a pop artist. This means he made art from everyday objects and popular culture in America. He was part of the New York School of artists. He was one of eleven New York artists whose work was shown at the opening of the Terrain Gallery in 1955.
His style was influenced by Abstract Expressionism, especially artists like Willem de Kooning. Rivers used the freedom of Abstract Expressionist painting to create art that still showed figures and objects.
Life and Work
In the early 1960s, Rivers lived in the Hotel Chelsea in New York City. This hotel was famous for its many artist residents. People like Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, and Leonard Cohen also lived there. Rivers often brought his French artist friends to the hotel. Some of these artists, like Rivers, left their artwork in the hotel lobby to pay for their rooms.
In 1965, Rivers had his first big art show. His work was displayed in five important American museums. His final piece for this show was The History of the Russian Revolution. This large artwork was later put on permanent display at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, DC.
In 1967, Rivers traveled to Africa for a second time. He went with Pierre Dominique Gaisseau to finish their documentary film called Africa and I. This film was part of a special TV series called Experiments in Television on NBC.
During the 1970s, Rivers worked on many video projects. He also created art using neon lights.
Music Career
Before he became a painter, Larry Rivers was a jazz saxophonist. From 1940 to 1945, he played music in New York City. He actually changed his name to Larry Rivers in 1940. This happened after he was introduced as "Larry Rivers and the Mudcats" during a performance.
He studied music at the Juilliard School of Music from 1945 to 1946. He was friends with famous jazz musician Miles Davis, who also studied there. They remained friends until Davis passed away in 1991.
Family Life
Larry Rivers was born Yitzroch Loiza Grossberg. His parents, Samuel and Sonya Grossberg, were immigrants from Ukraine. He changed his name to Rivers in 1940 when he started his jazz music career.
In 1945, he married Augusta Berger. They had one son named Steven. Rivers also adopted Augusta's son, Joseph, from a previous marriage. He raised both boys after he and Augusta divorced. For a few years, he lived with his mother-in-law, Berdie Burger, who was often a model for his paintings.
In 1961, he married Clarice Price, a teacher from Wales. They had two daughters, Gwynne and Emma. They separated after six years.
Rivers also had a son named Sam Deshuk Rivers in 1985 with artist Daria Deshuk. They remained good friends.
Throughout his life, Rivers had art studios in New York City, Southampton, Long Island, and Zihuatanejo, Mexico.
Larry Rivers passed away in 2002. He left behind his five children.
Legacy
Larry Rivers' main art gallery was the Marlborough Gallery in New York City. In 2002, a large show of his artwork was held at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. New York University bought many of his letters and other documents. These are now kept in their special archive.
See also
In Spanish: Larry Rivers para niños
- Bodley Gallery
- LGBT culture in New York City
- List of LGBT people from New York City
