Annelies Nelck was born on 26 July 1925, in Nice, France,[2][3] to Dutch parents from Holland (now the Netherlands).

[3] In 1938, Nelck moved to studied at Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten (State Academy of Fine Arts) in Amsterdam.

[5] Katan was part of the Dutch resistance, and tried to join Nelck in France but was intercepted and sent to Kamp Amersfoort in 1943.

[3] From 1947 to 1967, Nelck was married to the sculptor and painter Jean Vincent de Crozals, ending in divorce.

[8] Nelck belonged to the circle of the "Galerie Les Mages" founded by Alphonse Chave in Vence, and associated with artists such as Jean Dubuffet, Henri Laurens, Marc Chagall, and Pierre Bonnard.