20th Century Spanish

Rivera trained as an artist at the School of Arts and Crafts in Granada and at the School of Fine Arts of Seville. A founding member of the , in 1957 he travelled to Paris to familiarise himself with the happening art movements of the time. After this contact with the avant-gardes he abandoned traditional painting in favour of abstraction and experimentation with metallic fabrics.

His best known series are Metamorphosis and The Mirrors. He took part in countless solo and group exhibitions in Spain and abroad, and his works are included in the collections of major museums. Many institutions have organised survey shows of his work, including the Musée de la Ville de Paris in 1976 and the Biblioteca Nacional of Spain in 1981.

He received several distinctions throughout his career, including the 1981 Medal for Merit in Fine Arts or the Grand Cross of the Order of Isabel la Católica. In 1984 Rivera was appointed a member of the San Fernando Royal Academy of Fine Arts.