From his first memories, Hugo Rivera loved to paint and draw. After studying civil engineering in Guadalajara, Mexico he relocated to the United States and returned to his passion for fine art.

Hugo is the world's first post-modern fresco artist. Although he gained prominence as an interpretive modern artist, Hugo felt that much of the modern art world had lost sight of the roots of painting in the classical arts. In his move to post-modernism, Hugo sought to marry classical techniques with modern interpretations. Thus was born the art style of post-modern fresco – fusing of the old and the new. In 1994 Hugo began working as a muralist. By 2000 he opened a painting studio in Huntington Beach, but it wasn't until 2008 that he decided to focus more time on his painting career.

Currently, Hugo lives and exhibits in Laguna Beach where he also has a studio.