Alvar was born in the Catalan costal village of Montgat near Barcelona in 1935. He started painting oils at age 12, and at age 17 he was accepted at the Escuela Superior de Belles Artes in Barcelona. During this period one of his paintings was acquired by the Museum of Modern Art in Barcelona for its permanent Collection. Before graduating from Belles Artes he was given his first one-man show, Barcelona,1957. In the following year the Instituit Francias awarded him a scholarship to study in Paris, Where he eventually settled for a number of years. He has exhibited throughout Europe, the United States, Canada and Japan. His lithographs, painting and sculpture have been presented in major shows at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, the Wichita Art Museum, the Kumamoto Museum and the Fukuoka Museum. And at individual exhibition's in Brussels, Barcelona and Madrid.