Yannis Papanelopoulos was born in Athens in 1936. He studied at the Athens School of Fine Arts (1954 – 1957) under Moralis and then he continued his studies at the Vakalo Art & Design School, as a student of Tetsis (1960 – 1963). He introduced his work to the public for the first time in 1961 in a group exhibition (Pan-Hellenic Youth Exhibition, Athens) and his first solo exhibition was held in Ora art gallery, Athens in 1975.

Since then he has held many solo exhibitions all over Greece and in Cyprus and has also taken part in many group exhibitions both in Greece and abroad. He is a member of the Chamber of Fine Arts of Greece.