Half-French and half-Italian, Yan Nascimbene studied at the School of Visual Arts in New York and at the University of California. Yan, who first worked as a photographer and a film-maker before dedicating himself to illustration and painting, has published over 50 books, some of which he wrote, and created over 300 book covers. His work is shown regularly in France, Italy, Japan and the United States.

He is the recipient of many awards, including the Society of Illustrators' Silver Medal which he won twice and the Bologna International Book Fair Graphic Award which he won three times. Yan and his wife Joan share their time between California and a small village in the South of France. Yan op Altpick.