Larry Rivers

Larry Rivers was an American painter, actor, sculptor, musician and filmmaker. Born and raised in the Bronx, he trained at the Hans Hofmann School and then New York University. A transitional figure between Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art, Rivers was one of the first artists to insert preexisting, everyday objects and images into his work. Living in the Hotel Chelsea, Rivers was part of a scene that included musicians such as Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, and Patti Smith, as well as those who frequented Warhol's factory—indeed, Warhol admitted to being influenced by Rivers's work and "Pop personality." In 1992, Rivers's autobiography, What Did I Do? was published by Harper Collins. In 2002, the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C., held a major retrospective of his work.