American painter, printmaker, and sculpturist. Nelson was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He attended School of the Art Institute of Chicago and received a PhD from New York University. He has taught at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, University of Manitoba, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and other schools. He has done hundreds of solo exhibitions throughout the US, Canada, and Europe, and his work is held in many places, including the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Smithsonian Institute, and the Walker Art Center.