Born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

In 1964, Nancy Graves received an MFA from Yale University and a Fullbright-Hayes Grant in Painting to study in Paris. She had solo exhibitions at The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Neue Galerie, Aachen; and Museum of Contemporary Art, La Jolla. Her work was commissioned for several institutions. Graves received honorary degrees from Yale University, Skidmore College.