Born in Málaga, Spain, he was an artist in every sense of the word. As a child, he drew everything he saw. A graduate of the Real Escuela de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid, he studied architecture at both the Escuela Nacional de Artes Gráficas and the Escuela de Arquitectura in Madrid. He also studied painting with Daniel Vásquez Díaz, considered the teacher of modern painting in Spain.

His career spanned Spain, Sweden, France, Mexico, the United States and Puerto Rico. He produced paintings (oil, watercolor and acrylic), ceramics, drawings, mosaics, fabrics, intarsio, architectural design of furniture and interiors, original prints in many media - lithograph, etching, aquatint, drypoint, linoleum, woodcut and silkscreen - and wardrobe and set designs.

His paintings were repeatedly compared to the poetry of Juan Ramón Jiménez by Spanish critics. His ceramics, cultivated with freshness and originality, were chosen by the famous Spanish critic Eugenio D'ors for the "Salón de los Once" exhibition of the Acedemia Breve de Crítica de Arte of Madrid in 1953.

His paintings and prints were exhibited in important galleries in Spain, Paris, London, Stockholm, Mexico, New York and San Juan.

Rivero approached his intarsio designs as he did painting, using the different colors of wood as his artistic medium. He believed that the art of inlay was not just a way to decorate furniture but also a means to create a work of art. He would use unstained woods with the most uniform color and least grain. His intarsios have the same elegant, harmonious lines that characterize his paintings and prints.

Among his major works in architectural and interior design in Spain are the Castellana Hilton and Suecia y Wellington Hotels in Madrid, the Hostal del los Reyes Católicos in Santiago de Compostela, and the Parador de Turismo of Cordoba; in Mexico, the homes of Julio Alejandro and the actress Andrea Palma; in Puerto Rico, the Porta Coeli Church in San Germán and the San Gerónimo Fort in San Juan, among others.

He collaborated with various dance, ballet, opera and theater companies in the design of sets, wardrobe and ambiance. Designs by Rivero were received with great critical success in Madrid (Lope de Vega Theater, María Guerrero Theater, Teatro de La Zarzuela, among others), Paris ( Champs Elysées Theater, Marigni Theater), London (Cambridge Theater), Mexico (Teatro Bellas Artes), as well as in Sweden, Germany, Puerto Rico, New York, San Francisco and other North American cities. This work continued throughout his life. In Madrid he designed sets, wardrobe and lighting for the Spanish Dance companies of Pilar López, José Greco, and Xímenez-Vargas. He was well known in the Spanish theater world from the time of the founding of the national theaters where he made his debut as a designer. He worked with actors who included Conchita Montes, Tina Gasco, Catalina Barcena and Lola Membrines. and directors, including Luis Escobar, José Luis Alfonso, Alfredo Marquerie and Edgar Neville. In Puerto Rico he collaborated with the Ballets de San Juan, Taller de Histriones, the Casals Festival, the Drama Department of the University of Puerto Rico, Cisne Productions and Aleph Productions, among others.

In 1950 in Sweden he was a consultant to the State Theater (Gothenburg) and the Royal Opera of Stockholm. In Paris he was hired by the French government to enlarge the studios of the Beaux Arts School and was invited to do advanced studies in ceramics. During this period in Paris he produced for the Ballet Vicente Escudero the sets and wardrobe of the Suite Flamenca and for the Ballet Español de Pilar López, in the Champs Elysées Theater, El Amor Brujo and El Sombrero de Tres Picos.

As Artistic Director of W.I.P.R. - T.V., the television station of the Puerto Rico Department of Instruction, he directed the set, wardrobe and ambiance design of more than 35 works, ranging from opera and ballet to classic Greek theater.

During various stages of his life he taught set design, serving in his last post as professor of sets and wardrobe at the Drama Department of the University of Puerto Rico.

In 1997 he Institute of Puerto Rican Culture dedicated its 38th Festival of Puerto Rican Theater to him, recognizing his talent and extraordinary contribution to the artistic development of the island. He died in San Juan, Puerto Rico July 3, 1997.