Rivier was a very exceptional personality. Born in Lyon she spent her youth in Argentina and worked as an assistant in an art gallery. Back in France she registered at the André Lhote Academy in Paris, supporting herself by working as a part time model as well as a dancer in a music hall. In 1935, Marcelle Rivier joined André Lhote in Mirmande and from then onwards returned to paint there for a period of six months every year.