José Luis Rey Vila

José Luis Rey Vila (Cadice, 1900 – Paris, 1983) was a Spanish artist from Cadice.

He studied at the School of Fine Arts of Cadice and of Barcelona. In 1921, he returned from North Africa with an album of drawings against politics. In Barcelona, he worked as illustrator and cartoonist for Ford and as illustrator for several art magazines. In 1936, he participated as an artist in the Social Revolution. He realized a watercolor album “Estampas de la revoluciòn española” for the international propaganda. Every drawing is accompanied by a comment in three different languages (Spanish, English, and French). This album was curated by CNT-FAI and became – before Picasso's Guernica – the most famous artwork about the Spanish Revolution. He adopted the name of SIM to protect his family in Siviglia. His artistic style is characterized by strong and rigid oulines. In 1937, he moved to Paris (for the International Exposition). He opened his atelier in Buttes-Chaumont. He often travelled around Europe, and exhibited his works in Paris and La Havana. He has never gone back to Spain.