A.G. Rider was born in Chicago Illinois on March 21, 1886. Rider received his early training at the Academy of Fine Arts in Chicago. In his student years he painted for the Chicago Lyric Opera and later traveled to Europe. While living in London, he painted for the London Opera at Covent Garden. He further studied at Academies de la Grande Chaumiere and Colarossi in Paris, and exhibited there at the George Petite Galleries. For nine summers he painted in Spain where he met Joaquin Sorolla who greatly influenced his work. They painted together on the Valencian Beach. When Sorolla died in 1923, Rider was an integral part of the funeral cortege.

In 1924 Rider moved to Los Angeles and during the 1930's maintained a studio-home in nearby Laguna Beach. For over thirty years he was one of the leading scenic artists with MGM and Fox Studios. He painted murals for the Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago in 1933 and the Golden Gate International Exposition in 1939. A versatile artist, Rider excelled in painting fishing boats, seascapes, landscapes, florals, animals and figures. A.G. Rider died in Pasadena on January 1, 1975.