Jan Nelson was born in Melbourne. She graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts in 1983 and has been exhibited her work in both solo and group exhibitions throughout Australia since that time including at the MCA, Sydney, National Gallery of Victoria, Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane and the Experimental Art Foundation, Adelaide. Her work has also been shown internationally including in 31 Days, Paris: Cité lnternationale des Arts, Paris and Iconografias Metropolitanas, XXV Bienal de São Paulo, Brasil. Nelson has received The Arthur Guy Painting prize and the John McCaughey memorial Art Prize. Her work is held in international and Australian public and private collections.