Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1925, Dr. Nelson studied at the Art Institute of Chicago, where he received his B.A.E. degree in 1950 and his M.A.E. degree in 1951. He taught at his Alma mater as well as the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg and the University of North Dakota before returning to school at New York University, where he received his Education Doctorate in 1971. The following year, Robert began teaching at Cleveland State University, where he stayed until 1975 when he joined the University of North Carolina faculty at Chapel Hill. He then joined Millersville University, and in 1997, Millersville University granted him the rank of professor emeritus. Since retiring as a professor, Bob lived remotely in the mountains of Oregon with his wife Louise.

Not only has Nelson exhibited at MoMA, but his art is also included in the permanent collection of The Museum of Modern Art, as well as the Smithsonian American Art Gallery, Washington, DC, the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, the University of Texas, Texas, the Seattle Art Museum, Washington, Ohio University, Ohio, the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, the DeCordova Museum, Boston, the Brooklyn Museum, New York, the North Carolina Art Museum, North Carolina, the Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minnesota, the University of Minnesota Morris, Minnesota, the Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio, the University of Maryland, Maryland, the Rourke Art Museum, Minnesota, Millersville University, Pennsylvania, George Mason University, Virginia, the University of Manitoba, Canada, the Plains Art Museum, North Dakota. Bob was also part of the first Exhibit by The American Federation of the Arts, 50 Artists: 50 States.