Manuel Rivera trained as a sculptor at the workshop of Martín Simón, a mason of monumental works in his home town of Granada. His training in painting began when he joined the city's School of Arts and Crafts, under masters such as Joaquín Capulino and Gabriel Morcillo. In 1944 Granada City Council and the Directorate General for Fine Arts awarded him a grant to complete his training. In 1945 he joined the College of Fine Arts of Seville and in 1954 he moved to Madrid. After a trip to Paris in 1956 to see the art scene there at first hand, Rivera joined forces with Antonio Saura, Luis Feito and Antonio Suárez to found the El Paso group of artists and critics, which revolutionised post-war Spanish art from 1957 onwards by introducing art informel into the country. In 1969 he became a member of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Granada and in 1984 he was elected to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando. In 1993 he was made a full member of the European Academy of Arts, Sciences and Humanities.
From the early 1950s onwards, he was one of the first painters in Spain to use purely abstract forms. Rivera also conducted investigations into materials and experimented with the idea of relief through the use of earths, pigments, meshes and other everyday materials not associated with art but which could provide rich textures.
His work was shown for the first time at the headquarters of the Press Association of Granada in 1947, and subsequently at several national and international exhibitions, including shows at the Ateneo in Madrid (1959), the Museum of Decorative Arts (Paris, 1959), the Fine Arts Museum of La Chaux-de-Fonds (Switzerland, 1962), the Museum of Modern Art (New York, 1965), the Paris Museum of Modern Art (Paris, 1976) and the Lindenau Museum (Altenburg, Germany, 1996). He also took part in such major international events as the Sao Paolo Biennial (1957), the Venice Biennale (1958) and the Alexandria Biennial (1962). His awards include the Pittsburgh Carnegie Prize in 1964, the Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts in 1981 and the Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella II in 1982. France awarded him the Cross of a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters in 1985.
Manuel Rivera trained as a sculptor at the workshop of Martín Simón, a mason of monumental works in his home town of Granada. His training in painting began when he joined the city's School of Arts and Crafts, under masters such as Joaquín Capulino and Gabriel Morcillo. In 1944 Granada City Council and the Directorate General for Fine Arts awarded him a grant to complete his training. In 1945 he joined the College of Fine Arts of Seville and in 1954 he moved to Madrid. After a trip to Paris in 1956 to see the art scene there at first hand, Rivera joined forces with Antonio Saura, Luis Feito and Antonio Suárez to found the El Paso group of artists and critics, which revolutionised post-war Spanish art from 1957 onwards by introducing art informel into the country. In 1969 he became a member of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Granada and in 1984 he was elected to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando. In 1993 he was made a full member of the European Academy of Arts, Sciences and Humanities.
From the early 1950s onwards, he was one of the first painters in Spain to use purely abstract forms. Rivera also conducted investigations into materials and experimented with the idea of relief through the use of earths, pigments, meshes and other everyday materials not associated with art but which could provide rich textures.
His work was shown for the first time at the headquarters of the Press Association of Granada in 1947, and subsequently at several national and international exhibitions, including shows at the Ateneo in Madrid (1959), the Museum of Decorative Arts (Paris, 1959), the Fine Arts Museum of La Chaux-de-Fonds (Switzerland, 1962), the Museum of Modern Art (New York, 1965), the Paris Museum of Modern Art (Paris, 1976) and the Lindenau Museum (Altenburg, Germany, 1996). He also took part in such major international events as the Sao Paolo Biennial (1957), the Venice Biennale (1958) and the Alexandria Biennial (1962). His awards include the Pittsburgh Carnegie Prize in 1964, the Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts in 1981 and the Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella II in 1982. France awarded him the Cross of a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters in 1985.