He grew up into a family of artists, Rey began learning the art of painting from the hand of his father, the Spanish realist painter Gabino Rey. In 1989, he received the Talens prize, in the contest of young painters at the Sala Parés Gallery (Barcelona), and in 1992, he won the Raimon Maragall i Noble prize in the same contest. In 1994 the University of Barcelona acquired in open call one of his works for the patrimony collection. In 1994 he graduated in Fine Arts from the Barcelona University.
